Yorkshire clinched their first win of the season in any format with an eight-run Vitality Blast victory against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
England’s Dawid Malan hit 95 off 56 balls and skipper Shan Masood’s 34 off 23 helped Yorkshire post 182 for seven after electing to bat first, and that proved to be enough.
Notts’ Alex Hales struck a half-century for the second consecutive night and New Zealand international Colin Munro made 46, while David Wiese took two for 32 for the visitors, who chalked up their first T20 win at Trent Bridge since 2015.
Yorkshire, who prop up Division Two in the LV= County Championship after failing to win any of their first five matches, had lost their previous three Blast fixtures. They face Roses rivals Lancashire at Headingley on Thursday.
Robin Das continued his impressive breakthrough week with a maiden Blast half-century as Essex belatedly began their campaign with a three-wicket win over Gloucestershire.
Das, 21, hit a century on his first-class debut against Ireland on Friday before crashing 69 from 33 balls to help Essex towards a daunting 196 target.
That huge Gloucestershire score was in large part down to Ben Charlesworth’s brutal 19-ball 50 – the quickest for the county in T20s.
But Das, together with fellow homegrown player Feroze Khushi’s 34 off 14 balls and Tom Westley’s 31 not out, guided Essex to victory with five balls to spare.
Somerset beat Kent by 13 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis Method in a rain-affected match at Canterbury.
Three interruptions marred the contest, but Somerset eventually restricted Kent to 112 in pursuit of a revised target of 126 from 15 overs despite 29 from skipper Sam Billings.
Ben Green took three for 19 and Somerset team-mate Lewis Gregory stifled the hosts when they needed 18 off the last over.
Somerset were all out for 154 from 20 overs, with their biggest contribution coming from Tom Lammonby (34), while Kent’s Wes Agar took three for 18.
England 'realistic' about chances in Pakistan, says McCullum
Brendon McCullum says England are going into their three-match Test series against Pakistan with "realistic" expectations, and anticipates a tough test from their hosts.
England became the first side to achieve a 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan during their last tour in 2022.
And Pakistan have had no success on home soil in the last two years, with a 1-0 defeat by Australia in early 2022 setting off a 10-match winless run, with Bangladesh the latest to triumph against them.
England are without captain Ben Stokes though, as he was ruled out of the first Test after failing to recover from a hamstring tear in time.
Despite recent history suggesting England may just have an edge, McCullum is taking nothing for granted.
"We go in with high hopes," McCullum told BBC Sport. "There will be no excuses whatsoever if we don't get where we need to get.
"We're also realistic this is going to be a tough series, because Pakistan in their own conditions, as history would suggest, it's a tough ask."
McCullum also brushed off concerns he was worried about not having James Anderson, who has been acting as their fast-bowling consultant since his retirement, with them for the first day.
"Jimmy has been a great resource for us, but prior to that, we didn't have a pace-bowling coach as such," he added.
"In the world we live in, communication is easy. Jimmy is in constant communication with the guys. I don't think it's a big issue."
For Pakistan, Shan Masood has lost all five Tests since being appointed captain last November, including the 2-0 defeat to Bangladesh in August.
"There is a lot of hurt within the players," Masood said. "This year, 2024, has not been a good year for Pakistan cricket all over, and we like to see our fans happy.
"The answer is to be positive. We let the past go. We have tried to maintain consistency in selection. We haven't had any chopping and changing because we have lost a few games.
"We believe in this set of players and with Jason Gillespie we wanted to create a squad mentality. The players are being backed to turn things around."
The first Test between England and Pakistan begins on Monday in Multan.
Stokes to have scan on hamstring injury before Pakistan tour
Ben Stokes will have a scan on his hamstring injury next week with the England captain in a race to be fit for their first Test in Pakistan.
Stokes sustained the injury at the start of August and was subsequently absent from the series win over Sri Lanka.
The 33-year-old revealed earlier this month he was being cautious with his recovery rather than risking further damage with a premature return.
As well as netting throughout his recovery, Stokes has also featured in this week's Celebrity Pro-Am at the PGA Championship in Wentworth.
Despite the issue, he has been named as captain of England's 17-man squad, which is due to depart on October 1 before beginning the three-match series six days later.
England paceman Wood sidelined until 2025 with elbow injury
England bowler Mark Wood will miss the remainder of 2024 after sustaining an injury to his right elbow.
Wood played a full part in the first Test versus Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last month, despite suffering from stiffness and discomfort while bowling during July's series against West Indies.
Wood managed two wickets in that match as England sealed a five-wicket victory, but he was then replaced by Olly Stone for the second Test at Lord's, which ended in another comprehensive home win.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now confirmed Wood's injury will rule him out of red-ball tours of Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December.
The ECB said it will closely monitor Wood's rehabilitation ahead of a potential return to action in early 2025, with England embarking on a white-ball tour of India – their first with Brendon McCullum in charge of their limited-over sides – in January.
They then head to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19.
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