Lord's has been handed a boost ahead of the 2020 season, after Westminster City Council approved an application to make the floodlights at the ground permanent and increase the number of evenings that they are permitted to be used on from 10 to 18.

If the application had been rejected, the MCC would have faced a tricky situation with regards to hosting games next year. Lord's is scheduled to host at least four matchdays in the Hundred, including a double-header, on top of several Middlesex games, a day-night ODI against Australia, and Tests featuring West Indies and Pakistan. Under previous regulations, there had been an additional allowance for years in which the ground hosted ICC events, like it did in 2019.

The ground has regularly fallen foul of complaints from local residents over the use of floodlights since 2007, when temporary ones were first installed. The St. John's Wood Society complained about the use of retractable floodlights during the World T20 in 2009, and residents have regularly submitted objections whenever new applications have been up for discussion.

Six residents put forward objections to the application submitted by the MCC in May, citing "antisocial behaviour" from "extremely rowdy crowds many of whom have consumed large quantities of alcohol", "disruption to sleep" and "loss of privacy" among their concerns. But the council accepted the application, on the provision that the ground put in place six extra stewards to move fans away from the ground as quickly as possible.

Robert Ebdon, the MCC's assistant secretary for estates and ground development, said the council's ruling was an "excellent outcome for MCC, and the spectators and cricketers who will visit Lord's in the future".

"We are thankful for the co-operative and constructive relationship we have with our neighbours, and Westminster City Council who have supported this result," he said. "It is a positive outcome for the future generations that will come to Lord's to watch and play cricket."

The decision comes as part of the continued redevelopment of the ground, with the Compton and Edrich stands currently under renovation in the hope of completion before the start of the 2020 season.

Peter Handscomb, the Australia batsman, has joined Middlesex on a two-year deal, and will lead the side in first-class and List A cricket following the departure of Dawid Malan to Yorkshire.

Handscomb featured in Australia's World Cup campaign last summer - his solitary match came in the semi-final defeat against England at Edgbaston - but after being overlooked for the Ashes squad, he joined Durham for the latter part of their Championship campaign.

His five matches for Durham included one against Middlesex at Lord's, where his first-innings half-century proved vital in a low-scoring 44-run win.

To date, he has made 40 appearances for Australia in all three forms of the game and is the current captain of Victoria, who he has led to three domestic cricket titles. The most recent of his 16 Test appearances came at Sydney against India in January. Overall he averages 38.91 with two centuries against Pakistan.

Middlesex will be the fourth county of his career, following Gloucestershire in 2015, Yorkshire in 2017 and Durham in 2019, and he is expected to be available for the entire season.

"We are delighted and excited to have an all-round cricketer of Peter's stature at the club," Stuart Law, the club's head coach, said. "I have known Peter for some time and worked with him at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane seven or eight years ago, so I know what a top bloke he is.

"Peter is a fine player and he will fill a couple of the gaps that have been created. He is a successful captain, a fine middle-order player and the sort of character who will help create a strong positive environment that will keep moving the club forward. He has been brought up in a tough environment and his background will help with the continued development of our young cricketers."

Handscomb's first challenge will be to guide Middlesex out of the second division, to which they were relegated in 2017, one year after lifting the County Championship title.

The club finished eighth in Division Two last season, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of both the Vitality Blast and the Royal London Cup. Their struggles led the outgoing captain, Malan, to say he had "been banging my head against a wall" in recent years.

Trent Boult says he will try to be aggressive and take wickets in his first T20I appearance in more than 18 months, as he comes back into the New Zealand side for the fourth game of the series at Napier.

Boult has not played a T20I since the final of the tri-series against Australia and England in January 2018, having been rested and rotated out of New Zealand's squads to manage his workload, but replaces Lockie Ferguson for the final two games of the ongoing series.

"There's a series on the line here at the moment," Boult said, "and obviously I'm eager to come in and put my best step forward. It's a format that I haven't been involved in much at the international level over a period [of time], but I'm looking forward to coming in and trying to do my thing."

While Boult hasn't pulled on the grey strip for some time, he has been an IPL regular for Delhi Capitals over the last two years. He took 18 wickets in the 2018 season, finishing as the side's leading wicket-taker (Delhi Daredevils at the time), and played five games this year, though struggled to nail down a spot.

"It's the same mindset that I always take into most formats: trying to be aggressive, trying to take wickets, and trying to do my role for the side," Boult said of his T20 gameplan, "and that is being aggressive with the ball - I'll try and do that over the next couple of nights."

"She's always a beautiful wicket here [at Napier]" he said. "I hope I don't get to bat on it, but I'm presuming it's going to be a pretty good surface. It's not the first time I've played here obviously, and we're familiar with the grounds around the country.

"It's 2-1 in the series, and hopefully we can put a good performance forward and seal off a nice victory in the series."

Boult has been tuning up for the upcoming Test series by playing for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, and took eight wickets across the two games he has played for them in the last two weeks.

The second of those games was a defeat at Mount Maunganui, which will host its first Test on November 21 as the England series gets underway, and Boult said he was looking forward to playing international cricket at the ground.

"It was nice to get some red-ball stuff done at the Mount looking towards the Tests in a couple of weeks' time," he said. "It's just beautiful this time of year. [I'm] looking forward to that Test match there, the inaugural one, and it looks like it's going to be a good wicket. There's a lot of hum and a lot of vibe going on in the Bay of Plenty for some Test cricket there."

Another man who could join Boult in the squad for that Test is Ferguson, who is set to play for Auckland in the round of Plunket Shield games starting on Friday. Ferguson is yet to make his Test debut, but could force his way into the reckoning with a strong performance in what will be his first first-class game since March.

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has hit back at Zinedine Zidane after the Real Madrid boss spoke about Kylian Mbappe's childhood dream to play for the Spanish giants.

Zidane discussed Mbappe's reported admiration for Madrid as a child during a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Galatasaray, and Leonardo was less than happy.

- Champions League group stage: All you need to know
- ESPN Champions League fantasy: Sign up now!

"Honestly, it is a bit irritating," the Brazilian said after a 1-0 win over Club Brugge at Parc des Princes confirmed PSG's safe passage into the Champions League latter stages. "I think it is not the time to talk about it.

"First of all, Kylian is a player under contract with us for two and a half more years. Speaking all the time about dreams and will, I think it is time to stop a bit.

"Kylian is very important for us -- he is the best young French player, a world champion and one of the best players in the world. This is not the time to knock him and destabilise him. Honestly, it is time for this to stop."

Leonardo also said that, despite big interest in Mbappe, the 20-year-old is going nowhere anytime soon.

"Everybody wants him," Leonardo said. "However, nobody can get him."

Leonardo also responded to recent speculation linking coach Thomas Tuchel with the vacant Bayern Munich post.

"Look, I even saw something about us talking about a departure and all of that," he said to RMC Sport. "We are in direct contact, all the time and about everything.

"It is true Thomas was already here when I arrived, there are many things we still need to know about each other. However, this is how it works between a sporting director and a coach who was already in place. The coach has his ideas and that is very important.

"Aside from that, I was never contacted by anybody -- he has never asked me to leave and I have never told him anything. There is no story -- nothing at all."

Leonardo also accused Michel Platini of "jealousy" after the former UEFA president questioned PSG's identity and lack of French influence.

The Ligue 1 giants travel to Real Madrid next in Champions League Group A, knowing a draw or better will ensure top spot.

Islamabad United have sacked Dean Jones, their head coach for the past four seasons, and replaced him with former captain Misbah-ul-Haq. The signing of Misbah - who is also Pakistan's head coach and chief selector - has led to the five other PSL franchises raising objections, bringing up the issue of a potential conflict of interest given his multiple roles.

Jones confirmed his sacking via a video message on Twitter, where he expressed his disappointment while also recalling his stint with the team, with whom he had won two titles. It is understood, however, that his removal had been on the cards for more than a year.

He coached them to the Pakistan Super League title twice in four seasons, but Islamabad United have decided to part ways with head coach Dean Jones.

( @ProfDeano) pic.twitter.com/jtZQ1pBntA

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 6, 2019

Islamabad are yet to officially announce Misbah's appointment, but it is understood that they had him on board weeks before he signed up for the Pakistan job. It is also understood that the PCB, who had earlier promised to form a policy against holding dual jobs in the same set-up, had agreed to Misbah having multiple jobs within the same organisation.

The PCB is now facing significant pressure from the other franchises to discuss the issue. One of the possible solutions floated is to bar Misbah from participating in the selection process on the PSL draft day. Franchises have also objected Misbah's presence in the dressing room as head coach with Islamabad.

The PCB's chief executive officer Wasim Khan had earlier contended that allowing Misbah to coach at the PSL would ultimately be to "Pakistan's benefit". It is also understood that during his time in PSL he will not get a salary from the PCB for his role with the Pakistan national team.

Last year, the PCB, under Mani, had removed chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq from the PSL player draft committee because of a potential conflict of interest since he was involved in a talent-hunt programme run by one of the tournament's franchises, Lahore Qalandars. Tauseef Ahmed, who was part of the national selection committee while also serving as Islamabad United's spin coach, was also left out of the PSL draft committee.

The dual-role issue had also cropped up with former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur, who was also head coach at Karachi Kings for three of his four years in the national job. Similarly, Azhar Mahmood was bowling coach of Pakistan as well as Karachi Kings. The contract signed by them with the PCB originally allowed them to take up dual roles but after Mani took charge as PCB chairman, he came down against it. Arthur, however, has now been removed from the role by Karachi Kings.

Misbah's previous stint with Islamabad had ended on a bad note after he backtracked on his agreement to be their mentor for the 2019 edition. He was picked as a player instead and went on to play for Peshawar Zalmi. Before changing his decision, Misbah reportedly offered Islamabad his services as a player but the franchise was not keen to have him in that role.

Ben McDermott, the Australian wicketkeeper/batsman, has signed a white-ball deal that will see him become Derbyshire's overseas player in both the One-Day Cup and the T20 Blast next season.

McDermott, 24, has been in Australia's squads for their T20 series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and is likely to be available for the duration of both tournaments, though he could miss some games if named in the ODI squad to play England in July.

His move follows that of Sean Abbott, the New South Wales seamer who will represent Derbyshire as their other Blast overseas player, as well as the County Championship run-in.

The two deals will offer some optimism to Derbyshire fans, not least after budgetary constraints prevented the signing of a high-profile overseas player for most of last year's Blast. Logan van Beek, the New Zealand allrounder, was the club's primary overseas player, but after deals for Billy Stanlake and Kane Richardson fell through, they were left to pick one, rather than the maximum two overseas players for most of their T20 fixtures. Boyd Rankin's short-term deal later in the competition made him a second overseas option, but he played only five times.

But with three England Under-19 players - Alfie Gleadall (released), James Taylor (Surrey) and Hamidullah Qadri (Kent) - leaving at the end of the season, funds have opened up to allow those two signings, in addition to the recruit of South African seamer Michael Cohen.

McDermott has an impressive white-ball record - he has a healthy average of 54.64 in List A cricket and finished eighth in the Big Bash run charts last season - and gives Derbyshire an additional option with the gloves.

Dave Houghton, the club's head of cricket, said: "Ben comes to us with a good reputation and he is exactly what we are looking for in T20, a dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman who can bat throughout the order.

"In the 50-over competition his batting will be of great benefit and he gives us another option with the gloves. Ben's capable of taking the attack to the opposition as we look to build on white ball performances in 2019."

McDermott said: "This is a really exciting opportunity for me and I can't wait to test myself in new conditions with Derbyshire.

"The team did really well last season and I'm looking forward to helping them build. I love the short format stuff, but I've found good form in the 50-over competitions back home and I want to bring that to Derbyshire next summer."

Matthew Maynard, the former England batsman, has been appointed as Glamorgan's permanent head coach after spending the 2019 season in the job on an interim basis.

Maynard led the side to fourth in Division Two of the County Championship last season - their joint-highest finish since 2010 - and has been rewarded with a three-year deal.

He first re-joined the club at the end of 2017 in a batting consultant role, having previously been head coach from 2008 to 2010. His first spell in charge ended acrimoniously, as he resigned branding his position "untenable" following the appointment of Alviro Petersen as captain, which was made without him being consulted.

He later enjoyed a successful spell at Titans in South Africa, where he won the domestic four-day competition and the Ram Slam in 2013. He then spent three years at Somerset as director of cricket before re-joining Glamorgan.

Maynard said it was "very exciting to be able to carry on the work we started this year".

"I love being a part of this club and I have enjoyed working with the players and coaching staff throughout the season," he said. "There is lots of talent within the squad and we have a good mix of young players and experienced heads."

Despite their strong showing in the Championship, Glamorgan struggled in both white-ball competitions last season. They finish sixth in the South Group of the One-Day Cup, and dead last in the Blast, registering their only win in the season's final game.

"We saw a big improvement in the County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup," Maynard said, "but it's important we continue that upward trajectory and take our form across into the Vitality Blast next season."

Mark Wallace, the club's director of cricket, said: "We are delighted to have secured Matt as our permanent head coach.

"After conducting a thorough review of the season with players, coaches and staff, it became apparent Matt should continue his role as head coach. The side showed a great deal of improvement across two of the three formats under his leadership and came very close to gaining promotion in the County Championship.

"Matt is a highly experienced head coach who has developed his skills around the world and possesses an intimate knowledge of the club and how we are structured. He has developed a very good rapport with the players since his return and helped to improve their individual games and mindsets."

Big picture

"It's been a great learning day for us," said Eoin Morgan after a chastening defeat in the third T20I at Nelson. It wasn't exactly said with relish, but there was obvious conviction in his words as he offered up a subtle variation on one of the abiding themes of his England captaincy.

Throughout England's four-year rise to become the 50-over world champions, Morgan's reaction to their intermittent setbacks had been to present an unapologetic public face - "no, we will not stop playing our natural attacking game" - even if, in private, he was obliged to give a more honest appraisal of scorelines such as 20 for 6 against South Africa at Lord's in 2017, or 8 for 5 against Australia at Adelaide.

The difference in those contests, of course, was England's focus was on fine-tuning a team that was already good enough to take on the world, so presenting an unshakeable belief in the men and the methods was a key part of the process. The remit at this stage of this new-look outfit, on the other hand, couldn't really be much more different.

With the next T20 World Cup only a year away, and with a raft of automatic picks taking a well-earned break, the value of days such as occurred on Tuesday, when England squandered five wickets for ten runs in 18 balls to throw away an enviable chance to go 2-1 up in the series, will only be known in hindsight, if the players concerned take on board the lessons and process them for their next crunch encounter.

That said, England have had previous of learning on the hoof in this format. Their run to the final of the World T20 in 2016 was built on a wide-eyed acceptance of the team's relative naivety, as the team took their licks (not least from Chris Gayle in Mumbai) and found the appropriate response, as players such as Jason Roy and Jos Buttler had the first proper flex of their muscles on the world stage. Had it not been for Carlos Brathwaite's epic finale in Kolkata, they'd have had more to show for their studiousness than a handful of happy memories.

The relative stakes could hardly be lower in this particular series - a post-World Cup fever dream being played beyond the other side of the world, and in a time-zone that deters even the most hardened of English night-owls from tuning in to pay attention. But the opportunity to bed into the fabric of the England set-up, and get some hard-earned experience without attracting any definitive judgements from a public that is broadly speaking looking the other way.

That said, they are up against an opponent that really rather fancies getting one over their World Cup vanquishers. New Zealand took their time to find their range in this series after a stutter in the opening match. But with Colin de Grandhomme swinging from the hip in the middle order and Martin Guptill threatening to find some form at the top, they've got the weapons to put England's rookie-dominated outfit under yet more pressure.

Form guide

England LLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WWLLW

In the spotlight

With six of England's new boys on display in their last outing, there was all the more expectation placed on the team's relative old sweats … and to varying degrees, they missed the chance to stamp their mark on the contest. But while Dawid Malan and James Vince produced the raw materials for an England victory, it was Sam Billings' second-ball run-out that really started the rot in the run-chase. That moment also took his series tally to a meagre 23 runs in three innings (albeit with one not-out), and continued the impression of a cricketer who just can't quite seize the mantle as England's next cab off the rank. A terrible shoulder injury wrecked his World Cup hopes - he would surely have challenged James Vince for the final batting spot - and his last England innings prior to this tour was a blistering 87 against West Indies in Basseterre. But a white-ball average of 19.00 in what is now a four-year England career is not going to keep him in the frame forever.

Welcome back Trent Boult, we've been expecting you. New Zealand's outstanding left-arm quick slots back into the squad after missing the first three games to focus on his red-ball form ahead of the Test series - and four second-innings wickets for Northern Districts in last weekend's Plunket Shield confirmed his rhythm on that front. However, in T20Is he's been a bit of a spare part in recent years. He hasn't featured in any of New Zealand's last 13 matches dating back to the tri-series final against Australia in Auckland in February 2018. That could be put down largely to the prioritisation of 50-over cricket in the build-up to this summer's World Cup but, with back-to-back T20 World Cups on the horizon, this is the start of his rebirth in this format. The fact that he's been something of a fixture for Delhi in the IPL in between whiles suggests he won't find it too hard to pick up the appropriate rhythm.

Team news

Boult's return to the fray means that it is Lockie Ferguson's turn to take a break from the front line. He's not yet made a New Zealand Test debut, but with a round of Plunket Shield fixtures beginning tonight, it's not out of the question that he could feature again on this England tour. Blair Tickner, a tall and strapping seamer, looked the part in his first outing of the series - and only his second in international cricket - and in bagging both Tom Banton and James Vince in his day's work, he was one of the linchpins of New Zealand's win and deserves another chance. Daryl Mitchell and Scott Kuggeleijn may be the men to miss out.

New Zealand (possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Colin de Grandhomme, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee (capt), 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Blair Tickner

England are eager to find out what their new boys are made of - and all six of them featured in the Nelson defeat. But they are equally keen to return home with a series win, and at 2-1 down with two to play, the likelihood is that they revert back to some more tried-and-trusted options. In particular, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Jordan can expect to slot back into the starting XI after sitting out the third fixture, though who makes way for them could be an interesting decision. Tom Banton, underused so far, is surely worth another look - otherwise why bother bringing him all this way - so James Vince, whose three innings have been a microcosm of his promise and frustration, might be the fall guy. Likewise Matt Parkinson, impressive in his two overs at Nelson, is surely worth testing in a must-win contest.

England (possible): 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Tom Banton, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Sam Billings (wk), 6 Lewis Gregory, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Matt Parkinson, 11 Pat Brown

Pitch and conditions

The solitary floodlit fixture of this five-match series is being played on a drop-in pitch at another of New Zealand's rugby-dominant venues, with their habitually short square boundaries that will doubtless challenge any spinner who dares to lose his length.

Stats and trivia

• Napier is hosting only its second T20I. New Zealand won the ground's inaugural fixture, against Bangladesh in January 2017, by six wickets. The absent Kane Williamson anchored the run-chase on that occasion with 73 not out from 55 balls, but Colin de Grandhomme - Man of the Match in their last outing at Nelson - provided the final flourish with 41 from 22 balls.

• McLean Park is situated in a curiously suburban corner of Napier, albeit a short stroll from the Art Deco-dominated town centre that was extensively rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1931.

  Stats that matter

• Tim Southee still requires two wickets to become the eighth man to claim 75 T20I wickets, having gone wicketless in his last outing.

• Adil Rashid requires one more wicket to draw level with Jade Dernbach as the fourth-highest T20I wicket-taker for England. Dernbach took 39 T20I wickets - only Graeme Swann (51), Chris Jordan (52) and Stuart Broad (65) have more for England.

• Colin Munro requires 35 runs to draw level with Kane Williamson's run-tally of 1,505 for New Zealand in T20Is. Munro has played one more game (58 to 57), though Williamson has batted once more often. Only three men (Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor) have scored more T20I runs for New Zealand than Williamson.

  Quotes

  "Rossco [Taylor] has been asking for freebies all week, but I know he's got a hefty wallet, so he'll be paying in full." Café owner Blair Tickner isn't caving to his team-mates demands for free coffee

  "The summer was tragic for me and my family and I like to think that I've used what happened in July to spur me on. If I hadn't used it in a positive way, then I don't think I'd be here playing for England."
  Matt Parkinson is proud of how he responded to the recent death of his mother, Maria

The threat of inclement weather looming over the second T20I between India and Bangladesh in Rajkot has reduced with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) saying Cyclone Maha has weakened and moved to the eastern parts of India. The chances of the match starting on time were further increased as Rajkot woke up to a sunny morning, and that weather has persisted through the day.

As per the IMD's previous forecast, Cyclone Maha was scheduled to land in Gujarat on November 6, threatening to cause "heavy or very heavy rains". That threat nearly materialised after thunder and heavy downpour hit Rajkot early evening on Wednesday. Consequently, according to the Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah, the ground was waterlogged.

"It rained heavily last evening. It lasted about half an hour but the whole ground was wet," Shah told ESPNcricinfo. With covers stretching only till the 30-yard circle, Shah was sceptical at that point about the match going ahead, but he said the groundstaff worked late into the night to mop up the outfield. "Today it is bright and shiny and since morning it has been dry."

Though conditions are to remain cloudy as per the forecast, Shah is confident about the drainage facilities at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Bangladesh lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the opening game in Delhi on Sunday.