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Birmingham Bears' Brendon McCullum smashes T20 batting record

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Brendon McCullum recorded the highest ever T20 Blast score, smashing 158 off 64 balls to help Birmingham Bears to victory, while Lancashire beat Yorkshire

Brendon McCullum smashed a record-breaking 158 not out off just 64 deliveries to help Birmingham Bears reach 242-2 on their way to a 60-run Natwest T20 Blast victory over Derbyshire at Edgbaston.

The New Zealand skipper hit 11 sixes and 13 fours as he recorded the highest score in the competition, equalling the score he recorded playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008 and surpassing the 153 Luke Wright made for Sussex in 2014.

McCullum's century came up off just 42 balls and despite losing opening partner and skipper Varun Chopra for 51 after the pair had put on 160 for the opening wicket, McCullum powered on as Bears consolidated their position at the top of the North Group table.

The 33-year-old's brutal exhibition of power-batting included an array of straight and leg-side shots, as well as a couple of fours scooped over the wicketkeeper's head.

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Derbyshire battled to put up a credible challenge but not surprisingly fell short, opener Wes Durston top-scoring for them with 43.

Brendon McCullum: Birmingham Bears
Image: Brendon McCullum: Record-breaking knock for Birmingham Bears in the Natwest T20 Blast

Records also tumbled at a sold-out Old Trafford as Lancashire beat Yorkshire by 29 runs, where Lightning set a new county record for a T20 innings as they made 231-8.

Ashwell Prince (59 off 30 balls) and Paul Horton (27) got Lancs off to a flying start, with Karl Brown (69 off 35) top-scoring for them.

Despite a spirited attempt to chase down the massive total, the Vikings could only reach 202-8, with Tim Bresnan offering hope of a late rally before he was dismissed for 51 off 24 balls.

Stephen Parry, who was awarded his Lancashire cap just before the game, took 3-29 to frustrate their rivals, while fellow spinner Arron Lilley (3-31) also picked up three wickets.

Elsewhere in the North Group, opener Mark Stoneman smashed 89no from 60 balls  - the second-highest scorer in a T20 game by a Durham player - to help secure a 38-run victory over Leicestershire at the Emirates Durham ICG.

The home side's middle order failed to back up their skipper though, as they were reduced to 98-5 before an unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership of 65 saw them reach 163-5.

Leicestershire struggled in their reply and were reduced to 14-2 as Usman Arshad (3-18) picked up two wickets in as many balls.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and despite the best efforts of Thomas Wells (27), who became Arshad's third victim of the game, the Foxes could only reach 125 in reply.

Meanwhile, the arrival of former England coach Peter Moores as coaching consultant could not help Nottinghamshire see off Worcestershire as the visitors claimed a 20-run victory at Trent Bridge.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore's 75 was the top score of the night, as the Outlaws struggled to 153-9 in reply to the Pears' 173 all out, with victory leaving Worcestershire second in the table.

Kent replaced Sussex at the top of the South Division thanks to a seven-wicket triumph at Hove.

The hosts could only post an under-par 136, which was reeled in by a 91-run stand between England limited overs batsman Sam Billings (39no) and Alex Blake (52no).

Surrey eased to an eight-wicket victory over Middlesex in the London derby at the Kia Oval, where the visitors were skittled out for a paltry 105.

Dawid Malan made 40 of those, a score matched by Kumar Sangakkara, as the Brown Caps reached their target for the loss of just two wickets with 32 balls remaining to boost their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the competition.

Meanwhile, Gloucestershire chased down Somerset's 174-6 as they recorded an eight wicket success at Taunton.

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi hit five sixes in his knock of 49 but he was outdone by compatriot Hamish Marshall, who smashed 93 in only 53 deliveries for Gloucestershire, while Michael Klinger weighed in with 58.

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