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India chased down 237 to beat New Zealand by four wickets in their second Women’s World Cup warm-up match in Bengaluru after a heavy loss to England in their first match.After a solid start, where they reached 54 for 0 in the eighth over, India lost Pratika Rawal and Uma Chetry to leave the score at 71 for 2. Harleen Deol (74) and Harmanpreet Kaur (69) then put on a 132-run third-wicket partnership, guiding India towards the target. Despite a late collapse from 203 for 2 to 230 for 6, India held on to win with ten balls to spare.Earlier, after a rain delay, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat. India struck early, reducing them to 38 for 2 by the eighth over. Sophie Devine’s 54 and Amelia Kerr’s 40 steadied the innings, taking New Zealand to 132 for 3. They finished on 232 for 8 in a 42-overs-a-side contest.For India, N Shree Charani claimed three wickets, while pacers Kranti Goud and Arundhati Reddy – back in action after suffering a blow to her leg in the previous match – each took two.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe, starting on July 30 in Bulawayo, with a shoulder injury. In his absence, New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the side.Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game for Birmingham Bears earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test. According to an NZC release, he will remain with the squad and hope to be fit for the second Test starting August 7.”It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” head coach Rob Walter said.Related

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“It’s never great when you lose your captain, who’s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we’re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test. “We’ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he’ll recover in time.”Santner, who’s played 30 Tests, will be leading New Zealand in the format for the first time. New Zealand will go into the Tests fresh off a T20I tri-series win in Harare where they remained unbeaten throughout the series under Santner’s captaincy.”Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series,” Walter said. “He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.”Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he’s going to do a great job.”The two-match series will mark New Zealand’s first Test tour of Zimbabwe since 2016.

Superb scores in the 80s for third-wicket pair Will Luxton and James Wharton helped Yorkshire maintain their slim quarter-final hopes in the Vitality Blast with a dominant 41-run win over fellow strugglers Worcestershire Rapids at Headingley.Wharton, a T20 centurion against the Rapids here in 2023, top-scored with 88 in Yorkshire’s 233 for 6. He shared 134 inside 12 overs with Luxton, whose 81 represented a career best score. Both faced 47 balls.All seven bowlers used by Worcestershire captain Brett D’Oliveira went at nine or more runs an over before their night got worse. New Zealand overseas fast bowler Will O’Rourke struck twice in two balls twice en route to his his maiden five-wicket haul, 5 for 22, in a 192 all out reply.Yorkshire have now won three of nine North Group games, drawing level on 12 points with Worcestershire. They suffered their sixth defeat in nine, with D’Oliveira’s opening 56 off 33 unrewarded.Jonny Bairstow, opening for the first time in this season’s Blast, miscued the contest’s fourth ball from new-ball seamer Tom Taylor to mid-off, falling for 4. Yorkshire’s other big gun, Dawid Malan, followed for 8 at the start of the fifth over when he pulled Ben Allison’s seam out to deep square-leg with the score on 42.Luxton lofted Australian overseas quick Ben Dwarshuis over cover for the first of two early sixes and Wharton hit the left-armer for four fours to end the powerplay at 67 for 2.Four times in the previous three games at Headingley this season had sides topped 200.Luxton and Wharton ploughed on and brought up their century stand in the 13th over of the innings, Yorkshire 142 for 2. Both had just reached quickfire fifties, and the visitors will rue two Allison drops in the deep with Luxton on 9 and 74.Allison did remove him caught at deep cover shortly after the second drop before Wharton and Jordan Thompson – he hit three sixes in the last over in 22 off 8 – were run out at the death.The Rapids needed to posted their highest ever T20 total to win this game. England Under-19 opener Isaac Mohammed made a breezy start with 17. But when he miscued a slower ball from O’Rourke behind to Bairstow, it was 24 for 1 at the start of the third over.Worcestershire needed everything to go their way to have a chance of overhauling this target. And hardly anything did on a true pitch with a lightning outfield.Kashif Ali clothed O’Rourke’s second ball to mid-off before the big Kiwi took a stunning one-handed catch diving to his left at short third off Matt Milnes. At 37 for 3 in the fourth over, the visitors had a mountain to climb.D’Oliveira and Ethan Brookes at least helped them reach base camp with an 83-run stand, the former hitting a trio of sixes all around the ground. But just when hopes started to increase, with D’Oliveira reaching 50 off 33 balls, Brookes was lbw on the reverse against Jafer Chohan’s legspin – 120 for 4 in the 12th.And when D’Oliveira dragged O’Rourke out to deep midwicket in the next, at 132 for 5, it was game over.Dwarshuis clattered a consolatory 42 not out, but Milnes bowled a wicket maiden in the 17th and O’Rourke had both Matthew Waite and Taylor caught at deep midwicket and cover as Yorkshire’s win was secured.

Josh Tongue says that there has been no mention of the word “draw” in the home dressing-room at Headingley, a state of affairs that KL Rahul believes will play into India’s hands as England seek to hunt down a target of 371 on the final day of the first Test.England have drawn only once in their 36 Tests since Ben Stokes took over as captain, when rain washed away the prospect of a result at Old Trafford in the 2023 Ashes. There is a chance that the weather will play a role on the final day in Leeds, too, but the equation otherwise stands at 350 more runs – or ten wickets – required in 90 overs for a positive result.Tongue said that there was no situation in which England would consider a draw to be a good result, saying, “[We will] just go for the win. That’s the clear message in the changing room. It’s just [about] being as positive as we can. They’re going to bowl well at times tomorrow. It’s just crucial we soak up that bit of pressure and reapply it. I don’t see why we can’t chase that down.”Related

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Rahul, who top-scored with 137 in the third innings, echoed Tongue’s sentiments, and said that England’s attacking approach would suit India’s bowlers. “There’s definitely going to be a result,” he said. “That’s what England have said very openly, and their style of cricket suggests that as well. It gives us a good opportunity to pick up ten wickets. We know how they’re going to come out and bat on day five.”The wicket today was a very tricky wicket: I spent a lot of time batting there and I didn’t feel set at all at any given stage. The wicket’s taken a beating, and tomorrow might break even more… We know their style of cricket, so [we’ll] try to keep that in the back of our heads and try to see what lines and lengths we can bowl and how we can get them out.”Rahul also revealed that India had fallen short of the target they were hoping to set, after collapsing from 333 for 4 to 364 all out. “There was a little bit of discussion about how many runs we need on the board or… maybe giving them a few overs to bat in the evening today and see if we can pick up a wicket or two,” Rahul said. “Ideally, from the position we were in, we would have wanted at least 40 or 50 runs more.”Tongue said England were “really confident” after seeing out the final six overs of the day. “If you look at our batting line-up, it’s very strong. We play a positive brand of cricket. Chasing 371 is going to be a good thing for us to do tomorrow. Getting through that first 30-45 minutes tomorrow is going to be crucial, and then hopefully [we will] get the winning runs.”

Ash Gardner shone with bat, ball and in the field as Australia chased down a modest target to seize the first points of their Ashes battle with England.Alyssa Healy, Australia’s captain, sealed her full comeback from injury with an important 70 runs off 78 balls after Australia had bundled their opponents out for 204 inside 44 overs at North Sydney Oval.Gardner, whose three wickets were pivotal in the downfall of an England batting line-up which was also culpable amid a rash of soft dismissals, saw Australia home by four wickets with her unbeaten 42, having also taken two catches.Related

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Healy had been battling a knee injury since mid-November which ruled her out of her home series against India and forced her to play as a batter only in New Zealand last month while her return to wicketkeeping duties could only be confirmed on the eve of this match.On Sunday, she picked the gaps to perfection as she racked up 11 fours while taking her team within 41 runs of victory.Lauren Bell should have had Garder out for 31 in what would have been an interesting twist with Australia still needing 22 runs but Sophie Ecclestone failed to control her catch as she tumbled at mid-off.Gardner and fellow spinner Alana King then combined to good effect, as they had done with the ball, to see their side over the line before 6236 fans, a record attendance for a women’s international at North Sydney Oval.Lauren Filer overcame her slippery introduction to this ground Thursday’s washed-out warm-up against the Governor General’s XI where she repeatedly lost her footing in delivery to claim two wickets.She set off England’s defence with promise when she removed Phoebe Litchfield with her fifth delivery – the 11th of the innings – an excellent wobble-seam ball that nipped across the left-hander, brushing the outside edge as Amy Jones gathered behind the stumps.Lauren Filer struck early to remove Phoebe Litchfield•Getty Images

Healy overturned an lbw decision off Bell on height and England torched a review for caught behind off Ellyse Perry with replays showing the Filer’s delivery struck the thigh pad with no bat or glove anywhere near. Filer would have had her second had Alice Capsey not dropped a sitter at fine leg off Perry.The Australian duo amped things up in a 19-run over from Filer, Perry’s flick evading Capsey to find the rope at fine leg followed by three fours to Healy, an inside edge just missing leg stump before two more convincing shots through point and cover. But England successfully reviewed to remove Perry, plumb lbw to Bell, and Australia were 43 for 2.Ecclestone entered the attack in the 15th over and she broke a 61-run stand between Healy and Beth Mooney in her next. Having launched Ecclestone for six over deep midwicket, Mooney tried the same next ball but didn’t connect so well as the spinner dragged her length back and found the safe hands of Danni Wyatt-Hodge at stationed just inside the boundary.Wyatt-Hodge executed another calm catch in the deep from Annabel Sutherland’s top-edged pull off Filer but that brought Garder to the crease and she asserted herself with a big six down the ground off Ecclestone.Gardner and Healy put on 40 runs for the fifth wicket before Healy advanced on a fuller ball from offspinner Charlie Dean and was bowled.Maia Bouchier took an excellent diving catch at point to remove Tahlia McGrath before Gardner made the most of her reprieve and King hit the wining runs with a four down the ground.Earlier, Gardner and King shared five wickets between them in the face of a below-par batting performance by England, backed up by two wickets apiece for Sutherland and Kim Garth.Alyssa Healy brought up her half-century in 53 balls•Getty Images

Heather Knight top-scored for England with 39, followed by Wyatt-Hodge with a laboured 38 from 52 balls after their side had made a nervy start.Bouchier chopped the third ball of the match onto her stumps only to be saved when it was discovered that Megan Schutt had overstepped by the barest of margins while Tammy Beaumont wafted dangerously at one outside off stump in the third over.Bouchier broke a run of 16 dot balls between the opening pair when she lofted Garth over midwicket for four but Garth responded by pushing one through from back of a length to draw an outside edge which Healy collected behind the stumps.Knight scored her fourth boundary in 20 balls faced driving Sutherland’s yorker outside off deftly through point and Beaumont broke the shackles of a slow start when she had eight off 22 balls, her lofted drive off Garth finding the boundary. The England pair brought up a 50-run partnership for the second wicket but, two balls later Beaumont chipped Sutherland straight to Garth at mid-on to fall for 13 from 31 balls.That brought Nat Sciver-Brunt to the crease and she slog-swept King for six off the seventh ball she faced. But Gardner claimed the crucial wickets of Knight and Sciver-Brunt in consecutive overs – both holing out to Perry at deep midwicket.Perry couldn’t hold on when she had to come rocketing in from the deep square leg boundary and dive forward just to get hands to Amy Jones’s pull with just one run to her name.Jones launched Sutherland for six over deep midwicket and looked in good touch with back-to-back fours off Garth, who conceded 18 runs all up in the 28th over. But no sooner had Jones raised the fifty stand with Wyatt-Hodge by driving King through mid on and she spooned the very next delivery back to the bowler to fall for a 30-ball 31.Capsey never got going and while Australia had no recourse when King struck Dean, on nought, convincingly on the pad with the DRS down, the system was back up and running and couldn’t save Dean when King hit her directly in front for 1.When Wyatt-Hodge picked out Brown at long leg off Sutherland, it fell to the tailenders to salvage a defendable total. Ecclestone made the most of being put down by Healy when she was yet to score, with two boundaries in her 17-ball 16 and Filer opened her tally with consecutive boundaries off Sutherland.But Ecclestone followed England’s blueprint for easy wickets when she sent a leading edge off Darcie Brown straight to Gardner, who then claimed her 100th ODI wicket when she bowled Bell to end England’s innings.

Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja believes the hasty departure of Gary Kirsten could impact Pakistan’s ability to attract high-profile international coaching candidates in the future.Pakistan cricket descended into familiar tumult when Kirsten on Monday resigned as the head coach of Pakistan’s ODI and T20I sides. He was six months into a two-year contract and departed on the eve of Pakistan’s white-ball tour of Australia.Kirsten, who was at the helm of India’s triumph at the 2011 World Cup, leaves his role without having coached Pakistan in a single ODI.Even by PCB standards, the public struggles have been messy and threaten to deter prospective international coaches. Prominent candidates Shane Watson and Darren Sammy had previously been sounded out earlier this year before turning down offers to coach the national team.”When you search for international coaches, with the kind of backlash that you will probably get from Gary Kirsten’s resignation…it’s not going to be an easy, straightforward job for Pakistan to hire international talent,” Ramiz told reporters in a media interaction ahead of the Australia tour.”What you need to do is to make sure that once you involve and engage somebody, you’ve got to give them clarity regarding the role.”I don’t know whether that clarity was given to Gary Kirsten or how he wanted to get Pakistan into this one-day phase, what he wanted to achieve. I’m not privy to that.”It’s not great news [Kirsten’s departure] because Pakistan needed an experienced hand. From a distance, it doesn’t look great just before a tour.”A rift had developed between Kirsten and Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s newly-minted Test coach, and the PCB since the board decided to strip them of selection powers after Pakistan’s first Test defeat against England.ESPNcricinfo understands that Gillespie, who will fill the shoes of Kirsten on the tour of Australia, has also been left thoroughly unimpressed by the recent changes. A new selection panel – a third in three months – was formed and, in an unusual development, included umpire Aleem Dar.”I don’t know about an umpire being a selector, so the jury is still out,” Ramiz said. “I still believe there’s a strong role for a leader in cricket. You can’t run cricket from the sidelines. The leader has to be made accountable and the only way to make him accountable is to give him some powers.”Pakistan will arrive in Australia with not only a fresh white-ball coach in Gillespie, but also with Mohammad Rizwan taking the captaincy reins following Babar Azam’s recent resignation.It looms as a tough initiation for Rizwan, who will lead a relatively inexperienced squad for a trio of ODIs and T20Is against Australia.”He’s got his chance and what he needs to do is to stamp his authority and maybe get the players that he wants,” Ramiz said of Rizwan. “Right now, there’s a little bit of hodgepodge where the selection committee is nominating the playing XI. I’m not too sure it happens anywhere else in the world.”I just hope Rizwan gets his playing XI that he feels comfortable with.”Having been widely lambasted for antagonising Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood during a television interview following the England series, Ramiz called for “quiet and calm” within Pakistan cricket.”I think it’s important for all the stakeholders to understand the value of a non controversial start to what appears to be an extremely heavyweight calendar,” he said.”I just hope things are on the mend. I think Pakistan clearly were on a desperate mode against England, and thankfully the series was won. I just hope they carry this momentum forward even though it’s a different format.”But it’s [Pakistan cricket] a difficult terrain, it’s a difficult area to govern because things happen very quickly.”

A century for Usman Khan and five wickets by Mohammad Hasnain inspired Panthers to their first win of the Champions One-Day Cup, beating Dolphins by 50 runs. A team batting effort that also saw quickfire half-centuries from Haider Ali and Shadab Khan helped them to 328, the third consecutive time in this competition the first innings saw a score in excess of 325. Qasim Akram’s 65 and a half-century from Sahibzada Farhan led Dolphins to the most spirited attempt at a chase in this competition, but Hasnain ripping through the middle order meant they always looked a bit shy of the target.Batting conditions have been easier in the first innings in Faisalabad thus far, and after being stung looking to chase in the opening game, Shadab had no hesitation batting first this time. His side wobbled in the early stages when Mir Hamza prised out both openers for single figures, but Usman and Haider’s 103-run fifth-wicket partnership steered the ship back on course towards the huge first-innings total that has become characteristic of this season. Once again, the bowlers were unable to stem the flow of runs in the death overs, and though legspinner Usman Qadir did take three wickets in the final over, much of the damage had already been done.Dolphins started brightly with a 68-run stand between openers Mohammad Hurraira and Farhan, but the legspin of Usama Mir and Shadab found a way of breaking through. Mir coaxed edges out of Farhan and Mohammad Akhlaq, and Shadab removed Hurraira, who had sped along with three fours and as many sixes in a 30-ball 39.It was the Hasnain show thereafter. With his trademark high pace, he kept chipping away at the middle order, a couple of sixes off the final two balls of his spell souring figures that were far more impressive than the 5 for 74 may register on the scorecard. It wasn’t until he cleaned up Qasim and Faheem Ashraf in the 42nd and 44th overs that the game irrevocably swung his side’s way, with the five-for he registered just reward for his efforts.

Pakistan have called up legspinner Abrar Ahmed to the squad ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Amidst a slew of other call-ups, Aamer Jamal, who the PCB had declared was ruled out of the series, will also join the Pakistan camp, his participation “subject to fitness clearance”. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who left the side after the first Test following the birth of his son, also rejoins, while top-order batter Kamran Ghulam also links up with Shan Masood’s side.Abrar was released from the squad alongside Ghulam after Pakistan contentiously decided against playing a spinner in the first Test. While the Pakistan team management have largely stood by that decision, Bangladesh demonstrated spin’s value even on an ostensibly lifeless surface, with Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz taking seven of Pakistan’s nine wickets on the final day to bundle them out and secure a famous victory. It was a decision the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi called “possibly a mistake”, but Masood and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood maintained had been made after looking at conditions.Related

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In similar conditions on the same ground, though, Abar’s involvement now looks significantly likelier. He took four wickets in the A game against Bangladesh A, and is currently Pakistan’s frontline red-ball spinner with no serious competition. Pakistan have expressed concern including a spinner potentially lengthens their tail or adds workload for a three-pronged pace attack.Ghulam has now been on the fringes of the Pakistan red-ball side for several years and scored an unbeaten 100 in Darwin with Pakistan A last month, and 20* and 34 in the two A games against Bangladesh in Islamabad. With Pakistan’s top order struggling, he comes into the frame as a potential option.While Jamal has been recalled, and his value towards balancing the side is cruicial, his inclusion is considered exceedingly unlikely. Pakistan are not expected to rush him back from an injury they had earlier judged would rule him out of the series.The second Test starts on August 30, with Bangladesh eyeing a first series win against Pakistan.Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abrar Ahmed, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk) and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Yorkshire enjoyed the better of a hard-fought opening day of their Vitality County Championship promotion battle with Division Two leaders Sussex at Scarborough, though potentially not by much.Sussex came into this 10th-round Division Two affair top of the table with six wins and Yorkshire third with two. The gap between the two sides was 27 points, and both have high hopes of playing top-flight cricket next season.Sussex, invited to bat in challenging conditions, battled hard to reach close at 187 for nine from 72 overs, including half-centuries for left-handers Daniel Hughes and Tom Alsop, who top-scored with 84 not out off 184 balls.They had to recover from 14 for 2 during the early stages of the afternoon after rain had limited the morning session to only four overs. Matthew Revis’s seam accounted for three wickets.Although the day was shortened by 24 overs due to rain at the start and bad light at the end, the play was intriguing, and it would be absolutely no surprise if Sussex’s total turns out to be a competitive one.They batted under grey skies and on a pitch showing signs of uneven bounce.Hughes, who made 53, and Alsop, the latter dropped in the slips on nine during the afternoon, both drove nicely.Australian overseas opener Hughes has enjoyed an excellent start to life with the South Coast county during the second half of the summer, mainly in the Vitality Blast. And he has just signed on to return for the majority of 2025.He drove the first ball of the match, from Ben Coad, through the covers after Jonny Tattersall had elected to bowl.Another memorable one came almost arrow straight off George Hill midway through the afternoon to move him into the forties. But, largely, he was forced to battle hard.Unfortunately, having done the hard work and got set – he reached his fifty off 85 balls – he drove Coad to cover two balls later, falling to leave Sussex at 75 for 3 in the 30th over.Either side of the morning rain, from 11.20pm to 1.10pm, including lunch, Coad had trapped Tom Haines lbw with a full ball with the last delivery of the contest’s opening over before Tom Clark was caught at point having aimed a lazy drive at Thompson.Hughes and Alsop then shared 61 for the third wicket to ease Sussex nerves.Like Hughes, Alsop has this week committed his future to the South Coast county, signing a long-term contract.He was also strong on the drive but was far more obdurate than Hughes, seemingly determined to make the most of his life on nine when Fin Bean shelled a head-high chance at third slip off the bowling of Matthew Revis.After the Hughes dismissal, Thompson trapped James Coles lbw – 85 for 4 in the 36th over.Alsop and captain John Simpson shared 40 into the evening, but the latter pulled George Hill’s seam to midwicket. When Fynn Hudson-Prentice edged Revis to first slip shortly afterwards, Sussex were 134 for six in the 55th.Shortly afterwards, Alsop reached his half-century off 142 balls.Jack Carson and Indian seamer Jaydev Unadkat then offered catches to third and fourth slip as they drove at Revis. Sandwiched in between, Ollie Robinson edged Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin to slip as the score slipped to 172 for 9 in the 69th over.Jonny Bairstow took the wicketkeeping gloves for Yorkshire in his first county appearance of the season and was neat and tidy, while Sussex’s new ball seamer Robinson was only called upon late on with the bat and made two.Both men are hoping to rekindle their England Test careers.Shortly before bad light was called at 6.15pm, the excellent Alsop hit two boundaries – one reverse swept and the other swept – off Moriarty as he ran out of partners.

Alex Lees and Colin Ackermann scored unbeaten half-centuries to take Durham to an eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons in the Vitality Blast match at Derby.Lees made 72 off 60 balls and Ackermann 54 from 30 with the pair sharing an unbroken stand of 88 as Durham ended on 159 for 2 to claim the remaining quarter-final place in the North Group.Durham’s victory was set up by excellent bowling from Nathan Sowter, Ben Raine and Callum Parkinson, who took two wickets each to restrict Falcons to 155 for 8.Most of the Falcons got a start on a slow pitch but no one could go on with Wayne Madsen and Alex Thomson top scoring with 22.The home side fought hard to defend a modest total but Lees and Ackermann showed experience and nous to take Durham into the knock-out stages.Falcons had motored to 64 in the powerplay with Paul Coughlin leaking 33 from two overs but their adventure came at the cost of three wickets.Luis Reece went in the first over, bowled stepping across to Parkinson before David Lloyd cut Coughlin for four and six.Aneurin Donald drove Parkinson over the long off boundary but then top edged a sweep to backward square.Coughlin was cut over third man for six by Madsen but responded by having Lloyd caught behind for 20.Madsen made a brilliant century against Durham in the Blast two years ago so they were relieved when he mistimed a drive at Sowter and holed out to long off to leave the Falcons 65 for 4.Coughlin returned to have Brooke Guest caught behind and his next ball saw Ross Whiteley edge to slip where Ashton Turner spilled the chance.Samit Patel cut Matthew Potts over third man for six but Sowter was tying the Falcons down and he struck again when he trapped Patel lbw for 20.When Whiteley edged a drive at Raine, Falcons were 110 for 7 but Thomson pulled Coughlin for six before Mohammad Amir smashed Parkinson into the front of the media centre.Raine bowled Amir as he and Potts conceded only 15 from the last three overs to leave Durham chasing 156.Lees drilled Daryn Dupavillon for two fours but Amir was giving nothing away, conceding only five from his first two overs before taking a smart catch at short third off Pat Brown to remove Graham Clark.Lees pulled and drove Amir for two fours to take Durham to 45 for 1 at the end of the powerplay but they were being made to work hard by some disciplined bowling.Although David Bedingham pulled Thomson for six, he dragged the next ball to mid-wicket and after 10 overs, Durham were 75 for 2, needing another 81.Ackermann eased the pressure with two big sixes over midwicket off Thomson in the 13th over and drove Reece for another off the last ball of the 15th.Patel conceded only four off his final over but Lees and Ackermann took no risks to see Durham home with seven balls to spare.