Surrey thrashed Middlesex Panthers by 86 runs and Durham Dynamos saw off Leicestershire Foxes by five wickets as both victors kept alive their hopes of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals.
8:41pm - RESULT! Surrey (178/7) beat Middlesex Panthers (92 all out) by 86 runs at Lord's - Batty has Mills stumped as the hosts are all out in 14 overs. Surrey move level on 10 points with Middlesex but today’s margin of victory puts them above the Panthers into third in the South Group, from which both can still qualify for the last eight.
8:36pm - Gareth Batty bowls Berg for 33 and Ansari likewise dismisses Patel as Middlesex slump to 80 for nine in the 13th over. Surely there is no way back for them now?
8:28pm - Berg, who earlier took three wickets, races to 32 for 15 balls to give hope to the Panthers, who are 75 for six from 10 overs. However, Ansari soon has Neil Dexter lbw.
8:22pm - RESULT! Durham Dynamos (120/5) beat Leicestershire Foxes (119/7) by five wickets at the Emirates Durham ICG - Stokes pulls Shakib for a winning four with 12 balls to spare to end on 41 from 26 deliveries while Breese’s 24 comes from 15. Together they added 64. Durham’s win keeps them in contention to progress to the quarter-finals.
8:14pm - Stokes and Breese are steadying Durham, who need 22 to win from four overs. Surrey continue to dominate Middlesex as Lewis accounts for England batsman Eoin Morgan and Jade Dernbach for Adam Rossington, reducing the Panthers to 40 for six in the seventh over.
SHOT! Reverse chip past the keeper from Breese 93-5 in 15th #backinblack
— Durham Cricket Club (@DurhamCricket) July 25, 2013
8:08pm - Azhar sends Stirling on his way for 19 as Surrey take control. Stokes lifts Shakib for two leg-side sixes and Thakor for another to put Durham back on course.
8pm - Taylor has a fourth in four as Gordon Muchall is trapped in front, leaving Durham 56 for five in the 13th over. With rain falling, Leicestershire are ahead on Duckworth/Lewis. Taylor returns stunning figures of 4-11. At Lord’s Chris Tremlett removes Joe Denly and Adam Voges in an over, making Middlesex 25 for three after three.
7:53pm - It’s three in as many overs for Taylor, who has Borthwick caught at midwicket for 30. Leicestershire are right in this!
7:45pm - Left-arm seamer Taylor, bowling over the wicket to Will Smith, strikes in his next over thanks to a catch from wicketkeeper O’Brien, standing up to the stumps. Middlesex begin their chase with Paul Stirling and Dawid Malan in situ, but the latter soon falls for nought to Azhar.
7:42pm - Stoneman is held at point in Rob Taylor’s first over but Borthwick shows his class with a sweet off-side four off Shakib.
7:35pm -Surrey register 178 for seven with Azhar run out for 35 and Jon Lewis bowled by Berg from back-to-back balls in the last over. Ansari ends unbeaten on 23.
7:32pm - Durham are 33 for one at the easing of the fielding restrictions with Scott Borthwick unbeaten on 18.
Full house at Lord's #FLt20http://t.co/hlwQSA6C91pic.twitter.com/lBzjGLXF0R
— Lord's Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 25, 2013
7:20pm - Burns takes a smart slip catch to give Anthony Ireland Mustard’s scalp, but puts down Stoneman off Robbie Williams. Azhar Mahmood and Zafar Ansari help Surrey to 151 for five from 17 overs.
7:06pm - Patel ousts Solanki for 37 and Gary Wilson in his last over for figures of 3-28, leaving Surrey 117 for five from 13 in front of a sold-out Lord’s crowd of 28,000. Meanwhile, Durham start their chase with Phil Mustard and captain Mark Stoneman at the crease.
WICKET! What a catch by Dexter...a one handed leaping catch & Solanki is out for 34, b Patel - 114-4 in the 13th #Pantherst20
— Middlesex Cricket (@Middlesex_CCC) July 25, 2013
6:55pm - O’Brien flies to a fifty from just 22 balls shortly after Surrey reach three figures. Vikram Solanki is going well alongside him, but O’Brien’s fun ends on 54 when he is bowled by left-arm spinner Ravi Patel.
6:52pm - With Michael Thornely gone, Thakor is caught behind via an inside edge off Ben Stokes for a well-crafted 42 in Leicestershire’s last over. Ned Eckersley hits the final delivery for a straight six as the Foxes post 119 for seven.
6:41pm - Ireland international Kevin O’Brien, on a short-term contract, blasts 29 not out from 11 balls to lift Surrey to 60 for two from the powerplay overs.
6:36pm - Thakor takes Pringle for just the third four of the innings, moving the Foxes to 80 for five from 16 overs on an admittedly slow pitch.
6:28pm - Surrey lose Davies and Roy in Gareth Berg’s first over, the third of the innings, and Shakib is lbw to off-spinner Ryan Pringle.
6:20pm - Shakib Al Hasan and Shiv Thakor stop the flow of wickets, but cannot score freely as Leicestershire reach 46 for four from half their overs.
6:15pm - The action begins at Lord’s with New Zealand seamer Kyle Mills bowling to Jason Roy, whose opening partner is Steven Davies.
6:06pm - The Foxes, who lost Australian batsman Joe Burns bowled by Rushworth, are a poor 33 for three from the powerplay overs. O’Brien, who had just been dropped at mid-off by Gareth Breese diving forward, is held at midwicket off Onions the ball after the fielding restrictions are eased.
Ricky Ponting not playing due to groin strain but optimistic he will be fit for tomorrow night's game against Kent
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) July 25, 2013
We've won the toss here @HomeOfCricket and we're going to bowl first! #Pantherst20
— Middlesex Cricket (@Middlesex_CCC) July 25, 2013
5:48pm - Chris Rushworth snares opening batsmen Cobb and Greg Smith in consecutive balls, caught at mid-off and behind respectively. Niall O’Brien defends to prevent a hat-trick.
5:40pm - Leicestershire captain Josh Cobb starts the game facing Onions, who from his first ball uncharacteristically concedes five wides down leg!
5:24pm - Durham keeping the team that beat Derbyshire Falcons on Sunday means England seamer Graham Onions plays and Mark Stoneman continues to lead the side while regular captain Paul Collingwood recovers from a thumb injury. Leicestershire make one change from their tie with Lancashire Lightning on Tuesday as Robbie Williams replaces fellow seamer Alex Wyatt.
We have won the toss and will have a bowl. Same team as last week-end. #backinblack
— Durham Cricket Club (@DurhamCricket) July 25, 2013
5:10pm - Hello and welcome to ecb.co.uk’s live text commentary on this evening’s two Friends Life t20 games. In the North Group Durham Dynamos play Leicestershire Foxes at the Emirates Durham ICG from 5:40pm and in the South Group Middlesex Panthers face Surrey at Lord’s from 6:15pm.
Durham and Leicestershire have an outside chance of reaching the quarter-finals while Middlesex, in particular, and Surrey have better prospects of progressing but only with a win today.