Summary

  • England beat New Zealand by 23 runs on DLS to win second T20 in Hove

  • New Zealand were 42-5 in pursuit of 90 when rain returned

  • Charlie Dean takes 2-3 from one over

  • England make 89-6 from nine overs with Alice Capsey making 28 (15) and Maia Bouchier 23 (15)

  • England lead five-match series 1-0 after 59-run win on Saturday

  • Both sides building up to October's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh

  • Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary at top of page

  • Get involved: #bbccricket, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

Live Reporting

Mike Peter

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    Tonight was going to be my daughter Chloe’s first England ladies cricket game. She is glued to the text to see if things might change as she hopes we can still make it.

    Peter, Haywards Heath

  2. Just a reminder that for a five-over game we'd need to get going by 20:57 BST.

    So the ground staff would likely need to be removing the covers by about half past, by my reckoning.

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    Further update from just round the corner from the ground...drizzle is varying from light to almost nothing, but alas looks pretty set. Disappointing.

    Matt, Hove

  4. Alex Hartley on TMS says she drove five hours and 32 minutes to make it to Hove today.

    No doubt there's someone out there who's travelled further to see a game called off. Give me a shout.

  5. I'm no Michael Fish, although we share a forename and increasingly a hairline, but I suspect that shower is probably terminal.

    Still, we'll wait and see, won't we?

    Not like there's any other sport on tonight.

  6. Ah, no need to wait for the umpires.

    Brollies are up, covers are being dragged on.

    It's pelting down again.

  7. Daniel Norcross
    BBC Test Match Special commentator on BBC Sounds

    If you watch Homes Under the Hammer, I've seen so many kitchens painted in the colours of the sky right now. I think it's called Elephant's Breath.

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    I live just round the corner from the ground. It is drizzling again...booo!

    Anon

    Don't forget to leave your name on texts/Whatsapps so we can give you a shout out, even if it is delivering bad news about rain.

  9. Anyway, that's enough of what I'm calling "The Rain Delay Universe" and what my managers are calling "Is Mike alright?".

    Still no news from the middle - once I get some you'll be first to hear.

  10. Anyway, the umpires are out taking a look.

    The ground staff are painting the lines for the creases, which seems quite promising.

    And off the back of that news, famed interior decorator Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be joining me for a spin-off three-part BBC Four documentary series "Creases: The Aesthetics of the Painted Line".

  11. In fact, maybe the ball could feature in a separate series.

    Or tour some of the other podcasts, talking about how waking up at 5am and drinking iced water saw it overcome its peculiar bounce and make tons of money in venture capitalism.

  12. Even more of the England team have gathered in a ring to play keepy-uppies. I thought they were playing with a rugby ball - they were definitely chucking one around on the balcony earlier - but I've now got a better view and it does in fact appear to be football that's bouncing oddly.

    Two episodes of the podcast.

  13. Daniel Norcross now reports that one of the plastic sheets is either being brought back on, turned around, or folded.

    That's five episodes of the podcast right there.

  14. Righto, the umpires are going to have an official look at 19:15 BST.

    The England players are now out on the outfield, playing keepy-uppies with a rugby ball.

  15. OK, I've had sight of the ground myself, and the sheeting on one side of the central cover has been removed.

    There's a fair bit of movement on the outfield, in marked contrast to the near absence of anyone an hour ago.

    Regardless of what happens, this won't be a 20-over game. We'd need to start at 19:00 for that, and that's not going to happen.

  16. Exciting news!

    Daniel Norcross is reporting that the rain may have stopped for now and ground staff are speculatively moving a cover.

    Whether this means that all the plastic sheeting is coming off, we're not quite sure.

    We'll be sending out our best reporting teams, and "The Cover: Movement of the Plastic", a 20-part investigative podcast series, will be dropping in your feeds within the next hour.

    Or we'll just look out of the window, who knows.

  17. Can I just point out that in Salford it's not raining.

    Generally when I'm live texting a rain delay, it's also pouring down here.

    Not today! People of Greater Manchester, ring your friends down south and crow. Get out there and enjoy some light cloud. You deserve it.

  18. TMS is live for all your weather watching needs - you can listen at the top of the page.

    Commentator Daniel Norcross estimates there are 150 brave souls huddling in the crowd.

    That's true grit.

  19. Let's remind ourselves of how the first T20 played out.

    Having won the preceding one-day international series 3-0, England started the shorter format leg in style by smashing a ruthless 197-3 at Southampton.

    New Zealand started confidently before a huge collapse from 63-1 to 67-6, with only Jess Kerr's sprightly 38 from 25 balls saving the White Ferns from total capitulation as they limped their way to 138-9.

    The 59-run victory put England 1-0 up in this five-match series.

  20. Depends how close you are, Anon.

    I probably wouldn't risk it if you're any further away than Worthing.