HOUSTON -- On a night when the Milwaukee Brewers struck out again and again, piling up a season-high 24 K's against the Houston Astros, one big swing by Mike Moustakas made all those whiffs way easier to swallow.

Moustakas hit a two-run homer during Milwaukee's three-run 14th inning, and the Brewers struck out 15 times against Houston ace Justin Verlander before rallying for a 6-3 victory over the Astros on Wednesday.

Christian Yelich started the 14th with a single against rookie Cionel Perez (1-1) for Milwaukee's first hit since the ninth. After Ryan Braun lined out, Moustakas hit a drive to right for his 21st homer.

"Obviously, 24 punchouts isn't what we were looking for, but ... we got a W so we turned a negative into a positive and found a way to win against a great ballclub over there," Moustakas said.

Jesus Aguilar added a pinch-hit RBI single as Milwaukee won for the fifth time in six games. Braun, Yasmani Grandal and Eric Thames also went deep for the Brewers, and Adrian Houser (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. "I bet you there's not too many times a team struck out 24 times and won the game," Yelich said. "All those weird baseball things happen and that's another example of it. Honestly, it's just a really good win and a hard-fought win."

Verlander set a career high for K's while allowing three runs in seven innings. The 2011 American League Cy Young Award winner led the way as Houston set a franchise record for strikeouts, surpassing its previous record of 23 during a 15-inning game on May 31, 2003, against the Chicago Cubs.

Verlander joined Randy Johnson as the only pitchers in Astros history with at least 15 strikeouts and no walks in a game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. (Johnson had 16 strikeouts against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 28, 1998.)

"It would feel a lot better if we won," Verlander said. "Yeah, cool, great, but we didn't win the baseball game."

Houston had a 3-2 lead before Thames connected in the seventh inning for Milwaukee's third homer off Verlander. It was Thames' ninth of the season.

Each team had late chances to go in front.

Jake Marisnick singled off Houser with one out in the 13th. Marisnick stole second base, but Houser retired Josh Reddick and Alex Bregman to end the threat.

Pinch hitter Myles Straw walked leading off the Houston 10th, but was caught trying to steal second base. He was initially called safe, but the Brewers challenged the call and it was overturned. Josh Hader walked Tyler White, but Marisnick grounded into a double play to end the inning.

"Hitting is hard. They threw some pretty good arms at us," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "They're a good team, and yes, it doesn't feel good when you go quietly like that."

Singles by Yelich and Moustakas left runners at first and third with one out in the ninth. But Roberto Osuna struck out Grandal and Thames to escape the jam.

Verlander surrendered solo drives to Braun in the first and Grandal in the second before settling into a groove. He retired 17 of 18 after Grandal's 15th homer, with Milwaukee's only baserunner coming on a double by Thames to start the fifth.

Verlander, who had fanned 14 four times in his career, struck out eight of his final 10 batters, including the side in the sixth.

Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff also yielded three runs and four hits in seven innings.

The Brewers led 2-0 before the Astros scored three times in the fourth. Robinson Chirinos singled in Yuli Gurriel before Tony Kemp doubled in two runs.

ANNIVERSARY

Verlander got the start on the 12th anniversary of his first career no-hitter, a 4-0 victory over Milwaukee. Brewers manager Craig Counsell led off in that one and finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (lower back strain) will come off the injured list to start against San Diego on Monday.

Astros: 2B Jose Altuve (leg fatigue) and OF George Springer (hamstring) are both improving, and Hinch said they could start rehabilitation assignments sometime this weekend. ... C Max Stassi (knee soreness) is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment Thursday.

DYNAMIC DUO

Yelich and Moustakas each had two hits. Yelich extended his hitting streak to 10 games, which is the longest streak for the Brewers this season, and Moustakas has hit safely in 10 of the past 11 games.

UP NEXT

Brewers: Milwaukee is off Thursday before Zach Davies (7-0, 2.41 ERA) starts Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at San Francisco. Davies allowed three runs in five innings in a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh in his most recent start.

Astros: Following an off day, Houston hosts Toronto on Friday in the first of three games. Gerrit Cole (5-5, 3.72 ERA) is scheduled to start. Cole yielded three runs -- one earned -- and struck out a season-high 14 in seven innings but did not factor in the decision in a 4-3 win over the Orioles in his previous start.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Boston Red Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez lamented the fact that David Ortiz was shot in their native Dominican Republic, calling the incident an "international shame."

Nunez, who is friends with Ortiz and shares an agent with the former Red Sox star, told ESPN's Marly Rivera that he spoke with Ortiz on the phone Tuesday, less than two days after the shooting at a club in Santo Domingo.

Although Nunez said he was happy to hear that Ortiz is recovering, he said Dominican players feel "embarrassed" that a "legend" like Ortiz was shot in their homeland.

"Just thinking about the fact that this happened to him in the Dominican Republic, it is unimaginable," Nunez told Rivera on Wednesday. "For us, as Dominican players, it's a very bad image. It is an international shame.

"We feel very embarrassed about what happened to him because he is a legend from our homeland, and this happened to him in our homeland."

Nunez said he was happy to have had the opportunity to speak with Ortiz.

"I'm very pleased that he's already recovering. ... [Ortiz] said to me, 'How are you, homie? How are you doing?'" Nunez said. "I replied, 'Hey, it's not about how am I doing, it's about how you're doing! You tell me!'

"It was just a brief greeting, but it felt good to have the opportunity to talk to him over the phone."

Ortiz's wife, Tiffany, announced earlier Wednesday that Ortiz will remain in the intensive care unit at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital "for the coming days."

Ortiz underwent emergency surgery Sunday night in the Dominican Republic to repair damage to his intestines and his liver. He was stabilized and then flown to Boston and taken to Mass General, where a second surgery was performed late Monday night.

Authorities say Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at nearly point-blank range around 8:50 p.m. local time at the Dial Bar and Lounge.

The Dominican Republic's chief prosecutor on Wednesday said police have five people in custody, including the alleged gunman, and that others also are being pursued.

Witnesses said the attack was carried out by two men on a motorcycle and two other groups of people in cars, and authorities said the coordinator of the shooting was offered 400,000 pesos (about $7,800) to carry out the crime.

Nunez, who spoke with Rivera before Boston's game Wednesday afternoon against the Texas Rangers, called Ortiz a "very special person" for all Dominican players.

"I feel terrible," Nunez said. "He is an international figure, an icon of our sport. He's someone who's opened so many doors for younger Dominican players and Latinos in general. He always advocates for the best for the Dominican Republic. For young Latinos, he's always there offering you advice. He's a very special person for all of us."

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Six suspects, including the alleged gunman, have been detained in the shooting of former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz, the Dominican Republic's chief prosecutor said Wednesday.

Other suspects also were being pursued in the shooting, which witnesses said was carried out by two men on a motorcycle and two other groups of people in cars.

"At this moment, they are being interrogated, and we will continue deepening the investigation to get to the truth about what happened," chief prosecutor Jean Alain Rodriguez said.

"Nobody involved in this lamentable episode will remain in impunity, not even the material or intellectual author" of the crime, he said.

Authorities have declined to give a motive for the shooting at a popular Santo Domingo bar Sunday night.

Among the suspects in custody is the alleged shooter, identified by authorities as Rolfy Ferreyra, aka Sandy.

Police Maj. Gen. Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said the alleged coordinator of the attack was offered 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800, to carry out the shooting. He said the alleged coordinator also is among those in custody.

Among the other suspects still at large were Luis Alfredo Rivas Clase, aka The Surgeon, as well as a woman known as The Venezuelan, or Red, and two other men, prosecutors said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in Boston, Ortiz's wife said in a statement that the former Red Sox slugger was able to sit up and take some steps as he recuperates in the intensive care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"His condition is guarded, and he will remain in the ICU for the coming days, but he is making good progress toward recovery," Tiffany Ortiz said in the statement.

Prosecutors have said the two men on the motorcycle were seen on security camera footage talking with other people in a gray Hyundai Accent and in another Hyundai on a nearby street before the shooting.

One of the suspects, Oliver Moises Mirabal Acosta, was seen driving the Accent before mounting a motorcycle driven by 25-year-old Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia, the prosecutors said in a court document.

"In one of the videos, it was possible to observe both the accused and the shooter planning the commission of the incident right on Octavio Mejia Ricart Street, which is parallel to the place where the event took place," the prosecutors said.

The document also revealed ineptitude, saying the motorcycle driver, Feliz Garcia, was captured after he skidded and fell off his bike as the pair tried to flee. Enraged onlookers captured Feliz Garcia and beat him bloody before handing him over to police.

Mirabal Acosta was captured Tuesday night in the town of Mao in the northern Dominican Republic.

Feliz Garcia's lawyer said his client, who has been charged with being an accomplice to attempted murder, is an innocent motorcycle taxi driver who had no idea his passenger was going to commit a crime.

"He didn't know what they were going to do. He's a fan of David's," the attorney, Deivi Solano, said Tuesday.

The 43-year-old Ortiz frequently travels to Santo Domingo, where his father and a sister live. He was active in the social scene there, hitting nightspots with friends who included TV personalities and Dominican reggaeton musicians.

Beloved in his hometown, Ortiz traveled the dangerous streets of the Dominican capital with little or no security, trusting his fans to protect him, according to friends.

The Dominican Republic is one of the world's most dangerous countries. The murder rate stands at 12.5 killings per 100,000 people, placing the Dominican Republic in the top 10% to 15% of the most violent countries in the world, according to U.S. State Department data.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

A look ahead to the Diamond League meeting in Oslo, where Norwegian stars Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Karsten Warholm are among those in action

A stadium where 69 world records have been broken since 1945 looks like staging another top-class Diamond League event as the series moves on to the Bislett Games on Thursday.

In the 100m, world indoor 60m champion Christian Coleman will be looking to continue his great form after his season-opener of 9.86 in Shanghai. Usain Bolt’s track record of 9.79 may be a stretch this early in the year, but he will be pushed by fellow American Mike Rodgers, plus Brits Reece Prescod and Chijindu Ujah and Italy’s up-and-coming Filippo Tortu.

Another highlight will be the men’s pole vault where last year’s world No.1 Armand Duplantis, the current AW cover star who has already gone over 6.00m this year, takes on world champion Sam Kendricks and European champion Pavel Wojciechowski.

.@samkendricks speaks with @stuartweir about tomorrow’s @BislettGames, @mondohoss600 and the global pole vault scene right now #BislettGames #OsloDL pic.twitter.com/fEI8tljWrY

— Athletics Weekly (@AthleticsWeekly) June 12, 2019

Organisers are claiming to have assembled possibly the best women’s steeplechase line-up in Diamond League history. World record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech will start favourite after dominating the chase in Rome, but world champion Emma Coburn will hope to push her as she makes her 2019 Diamond League debut. Olympic silver medallist Hyvin Kiyeng, European champion Gesa Felicitas Krause, Norwegian record-holder Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal and Britain’s Rosie Clarke are also on the start list.

World junior 400m hurdles record-holder Sydney McLaughlin will compete in her main event in a Diamond League for the first time. The athlete rated to be America’s next female track and field star was second in the flat 400m in Shanghai and here takes on Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad and European champion Lea Sprunger.

The men’s event includes home favourite Karsten Warholm, the world champion, but is missing Abderrahman Samba through injury.

The women’s 100m hurdles features Norwegian record-holder Isabelle Pedersen, plus Diamond League leader Sharika Nelvis and Olympic champion Brianna McNeal, while in the women’s 200m, world champion Dafne Schippers goes up against Gabrielle Thomas and Jenna Prandini of the US.

Last year’s IAAF world female athlete of the year Caterine Ibarguen switches back to triple jump after opening up her 2019 campaign in the long jump. The double 2018 Diamond League champion will meet Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams and Shanieka Ricketts, European champion Paraskevi Papachristou and former world champion Olga Saladukha.

For more than 50 years, the Bislett Games Dream Mile has assembled the world’s best middle-distance runners. In this year’s edition, double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and brother Filip will enjoy plenty of home support.

The men’s 3000m features Selemon Barega and Muktar Edris, plus Henrik Ingebrigtsen and Britain’s Andrew Butchart.

Andreas Hofmann goes up against his fellow Germans Johannes Vetter and Thomas Rohler in the javelin, while the women’s high jump features Britain’s Morgan Lake and world champion Mariya Lasitskene. In the women’s shot, Shanghai winner Chase Ealey again takes on world champion Gong Lijiao.

Britain’s Shelayna Oskan-Clarke and Lynsey Sharp race in the non-Diamond League 800m.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway for NASCAR late model stock cars will see significant changes later this year.

The changes to the event will see the purse increase for the top-five finishers, a new qualifying procedure, and a new race format.

“We’re adjusting the purse this year to better reward the top-five finishers in NASCAR’s most prestigious late model stock car race, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300,” Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said. “This is, no doubt, the biggest Late Model Stock Car race in the country, and with the format and purse changes, we feel the 2019 edition will reflect that fully.”

The winner’s share of the $110,000 purse will now be $32,000, with second paying $8,000, third paying $6,000, fourth paying $5,000, and fifth paying $4,000.

All 40 teams to make 200-lap feature will receive a minimum payout off $1,000.

As for the format, time trials on Friday, Oct. 4 will be more important than ever in the competitive modern world of NASCAR late model stock cars.

Single-car qualifying will set the top-20 starting positions for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 feature race on Saturday, Oct. 5. There will also be a $5,000 bonus for the driver who wins the pole.

The remaining 20 positions will be set on Saturday, Oct. 5, with two 50-lap heat races.

The top 10 finishers from each heat race will advance to the feature race. Caution laps will count during the heat races.

“This format really rewards the drivers who can perform under pressure, and rewards the fans in the grandstands,” Campbell said. “The drama of single-car qualifying on Friday night will really be something to watch. By making the heat races 50 laps, we are giving the drivers more time to work their way through the field, giving the fans two dramatic heat races on Saturday afternoon to set the field.”

The feature race will also see format changes.

The 200-lap race will be stopped at lap 75 and at lap 150. The leader at each break will receive a $1,000 bonus. There will be no invert after either break.

DRP Performance Products has also added a bonus of $25 for each lap a driver leads, for a total of $5,000.

As in 2018, teams will have four fresh tires behind pit wall at the start of the race. The teams will be able to use those four fresh tires as they desire throughout the 200-lap feature event, with two opportunities to change tires during the planned breaks.

The breaks will set up a 50-lap dash to the finish for the $32,000 winner’s check and a grandfather clock trophy.

“When it comes right down to it, the changes we are making are for the fans,” Campbell said. “We want them to feel like they just saw the best race possible when they leave our parking lots on Oct. 5. I feel confident these changes will produce just that.”

Another change to the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 involves the overtime procedures for the race. There will be an unlimited amount of attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, a change from previous years, where the amount of attempts was limited to three.

The engine rules for the race will be governed in accordance by the 2019 NASCAR rule book, and no changes will be made outside of the NASCAR rule book by Martinsville Speedway to create parity between engine suppliers.

“The engines teams find work best each and every week, from a competitive standpoint, will not be compromised or enhanced based on speeds during testing and practice,” Campbell said.

Car numbers will still be issued, and garage stalls assigned, for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 weekend based on the postmark date of the completed official NASCAR entry form.

C.E. Falk III is the defending winner of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.

LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is earning a Major League Soccer-record $7.2 million salary this season.

The 37-year-old Ibrahimovic, who earned a relatively modest $1.5m last year, broke the previous mark set by former Toronto FC midfielder Sebastian Giovinco, who had $7,115,556 in total compensation in both 2017 and 2018.

- Carlisle: Does MLS have a double standard for Ibra?
- Ibrahimovic on criticism: 'I eat it for breakfast'

The MLS Players Association said Wednesday the average base salary for all players this year is $376,174 and the average guaranteed compensation is $417,643, including a prorated share of guaranteed money not attributable to a specific year. The average salary for senior roster non-designated players increased 13.3 percent to $345,867 and is up from $138,140 in 2014.

Striker Giovani dos Santos, released by the Galaxy in March, is second with a base salary of $4.75m and total compensation of $6.5m.

Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley ($6m base, $6,428,571 total) is third, followed by Toronto striker Jozy Altidore ($4,891,250, $6,332,250), LAFC forward Carlos Vela ($4.5m base, $6.3m total), Chicago midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger ($5.6m base and total), Montreal winger Ignacio Piatti ($530,000, $4,443,333), Toronto midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo ($3.8m), DC United forward Wayne Rooney ($3.5m, $3,507,500), Atlanta forward Josef Martinez ($3m, $3,058,333), Seattle forward Nicolas Lodeiro ($2m, $2,502,500), Orlando midfielder Nani ($2,333,333, $2,486,250) and Colorado goalkeeper Tim Howard ($2m, $2,475,000).

The minimum salary for each team's 18-20 senior players rose to $70,250 this season and the minimum for its maximum eight reserve players increased to $56,250.

This is the final season of a five-year labor contract.

India will commence their run in the inaugural World Test Championship with a two-match Test series in the West Indies, beginning late August.

The two Tests which will be played in Antigua (August 22-26) and Jamaica (August 30-September 3) come at the back end of the tour which also comprises three T20s and three ODIs.

The tour was originally slotted to begin immediately after the World Cup but was pushed back following the BCCI's request. India will begin the tour with two T20Is, the first of which will be played in Florida on August 3. In recent times, Florida has become a regular venue for Cricket West Indies. The venue also hosted two T20Is during India's tour to the Caribbean in 2016, apart from a number of Caribbean Premier League matches.

In March, CWI had sent a request to the BCCI asking to play an additional T20I. Another request from CWI was two of the three agreed T20Is to be played in Miami. According to the minutes of meeting on March 18 between the BCCI officials and the Committee of Administrators, the first request was struck off, but the second one was approved provided the T20I series took place ahead of the Test series.

ALSO READ: All you need to know about the World Test Championship

This will be India's only overseas Test assignment in 2019. Earlier this month, CWI confirmed the hosting of India A on a shadow tour, consisting of five one-dayers and three four-day fixtures from July 11 to August 9.

The revised fixtures give CWI a clear window for the CPL. The seventh edition of the T20 competition is set to be played between September 4 and October 12. Originally, it was slotted from August 21 to September 27. The revised schedule also means all the West Indies players are likely to be available for the entire duration of the CPL.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Australia 307 (Warner 107, Finch 82, Amir 5-30) beat Pakistan 266 (Imam 53, Cummins 3-33) by 41 runs

A wild, seesawing game that always seemed just a little too far out of Pakistan's reach proved to be just that at the end, with Australia wrapping up a 41-run victory that was far nervier than the scorecard suggested. It came about thanks to a century from David Warner at the top end, coupled with generosity to the point of self-sacrifice from Pakistan both with the ball and in the field. Australia were so far on top in the first half of the first innings, talk of 350 and 400 rolled easily off the tongue, until a vintage performance from Mohammad Amir curtailed them to 307, his five-for bowling out a side that hadn't lost a single wicket for 22 overs.

Pakistan, in response, oscillated between dismal and distinguished. Babar Azam looked princely for a knock that lasted all of 28 deliveries, before an 80-run partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez looked to have put Pakistan on top. Another collapse, this one entirely of Pakistan's own making, followed, before a late rearguard by Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz put the fear of God into Australia. They usually win such games, however, and Pakistan tend to find a way to lose them. In that sense - but strictly in that sense alone - this was business as usual.

This was such a disjointed game it's hard to know where to pick it up and thread it all together. Was it Warner's knock, the shackles that bound him so tightly against India (mostly) thrown off, the innings that set the tone for the day? Certainly not, in all frankness. Pakistan dropped catches, allowed overthrows, and committed errors in the field which were criminal enough to have interested the local constabulary, not just Mickey Arthur. In the meantime, they had Shaheen Afridi endure one of the worst games of his career, undoing much of the good work the excellent Amir had done at the other end with the new ball. At first change, Hasan didn't enjoy a much better day either, and with no semblance of a plan Pakistan's bowlers were following, Aaron Finch and Warner made hay for the best part of half the innings.

Finch benefitted the most from sloppiness in the field, which saw Asif Ali put him down in the slips. It was a position he should never have been fielding in, but Babar was deputising at point for Shadab Khan, controversially left out altogether in favour of an all-seam attack and Hafeez and Shoaib Malik in the middle order. Wahab also saw Warner put down by the same man at third man, an even easier take if possible, and with Hafeez struggling badly against Finch and Glenn Maxwell, Pakistan were running out of players to turn to.

Watch on Hotstar (India only) - Warner's century

Amir was superb, in sharp contrast to his team-mates. He seemed to know exactly what would work on this surface, and that is a trait of Amir's that hasn't quite been appreciated of late, with the focus more squarely on why he wasn't picking up wickets. He managed to fulfil roles of both container and strike bowler in one - and boy did he need to. It wasn't until his final over, where he took two wickets and bowled Australia out, that he completed his five-for, remarkably the first of his ODI career. In an innings that saw 307 runs scored, his figures read 10-2-30-5.

Pakistan might have taken heart from that second half of the first innings, but all of that seemed to have been lost in the lunch interval. Australia started tightly, save a first-ball no-ball that shouldn't have been called. By the third over, Fakhar Zaman's patience had run out, and he lashed out at Pat Cummins, only succeeding in slicing the ball to third man, in a similar position to where Asif had put Warner down a couple of hours earlier. Richardson on the boundary was far more ruthless, and Pakistan immediately found themselves on the back foot.

Babar was the big hope, and if shots counted for more based on their elegance and beauty, Pakistan might have wrapped this up in the 28 balls he was around. They fetched seven fours, each more graceful than the last, and it appeared as if this would be the day Babar stood tall in a World Cup game and became the de facto leader of this young side. What he did instead was painful to see, no matter who you supported, throwing away a start of that kind by pulling loosely at a short delivery that carried to fine leg.

The following partnership was the last time Pakistan could aspire to win the game through normal cricketing strategy. Imam and Hafeez were well in control in the middle overs. Mitchell Starc had been seen off, and when brought back, was seen off once more. But Australia persisted with tactics they had clearly worked on, Cummins frustrating Imam down the leg side until the opener swiped at one and gloved through to Alex Carey instead. Hafeez's dismissal was even more farcical, with the right-hander holing out off a knee-high Finch full toss on the midwicket boundary, and when Shoaib and Asif fell within the next three overs, a big defeat looked inevitable.

What followed was what will in hindsight make this game memorable, a breezy cameo from Hasan taking Pakistan to 200. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Wahab then found themselves batting out time for a while, before suddenly appearing to realise they had taken the game deep, and with run rate not really an issue, were in with a shot of winning it. That was when Wahab took the attack to Maxwell using a concoction of luck and brute force, waking the heavily pro-Pakistan crowd up to the same epiphany. The target was under 50, the asking rate under seven. Would this finally happen for Pakistan?

Australia, however, had quashed such a revolution just last week, when West Indies came much closer to threatening an unlikely win. As they had done then, they turned the ball over to Starc. In his second over back, he coaxed a feathered edge from Wahab, so faint Finch nearly didn't review Australia's unsuccessful appeal. Amir was beaten by a low full toss a couple of balls later, and Pakistan's back had finally been broken. There was even time for a comedy run-out to cap off things.

It was a fitting way for things to end, with a clutch Australia having signed off the game in nerveless, ruthless fashion. The last sight for Pakistan will have been their captain stranded in the middle of the pitch, bails being dislodged by a direct hit. It might just have been 41 runs, but in that moment, the contrast couldn't have been captured more accurately.

Leicestershire 36 for 3 v Middlesex

Middlesex picked up three wickets in the 11 overs that were possible on the third day of their County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road.

Constant heavy rain having forced play to be abandoned without a ball being bowled on each of the first two days, there was a certain amount of surprise when, after Herculean efforts by the ground staff but with the outfield still damp, umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Ulhas Gandhe decided it was possible to start play at 3.10pm, with 48 overs to be bowled.

After Middlesex exercised the away team's prerogative to bowl first, seamers Tim Murtagh and Tom Helm were understandably tentative in their opening overs, but even so the visitors made a quick breakthrough when Leicestershire captain Paul Horton, having squeezed a Murtagh delivery into the leg side, was slow to respond when opening partner Hassan Azad called him through for a quick single.

Leicestershire's captain was well short of his ground when George Scott, running in from midwicket, turned and threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end.

The left-handed Azad picked up a couple of neat fours off his legs off Murtagh, but Sam Evans, making his first first-class appearance of the season, had no answer to a Murtagh delivery that seamed back in to the young right-hander and hit the top of off-stump.

Middlesex then ensured that from their point of view the 11 overs had been worth playing when Helm found the edge of Mark Cosgrove's bat and captain Dawid Malan held a fine catch two-handed high to his right at third slip to secure a bowling bonus point.

Bad light closed in soon afterwards, and the forecast for the fourth day was extremely poor but, in recent years' championships, promotions and relegations have been decided by a point. Middlesex may yet come to look back on four otherwise hugely frustrating days in the East Midlands fondly.