The England and Wales Cricket Board have marked the start of the new NatWest T20 Blast season by sending a while cricket ball to the 'edge of space'.
The ball, which will be used in every game during the competition, was launched from Edgbaston using a helium balloon and reached an altitude of 110,000 ft before parachuting back to earth in Newbury, Berkshire.
ECB chief executive David Collier said: "By sending a cricket ball to the edge of space, we've come up with an innovative idea which vividly illustrates our own plans to make this summer's NatWest T20 Blast competition a truly memorable experience for cricket fans everywhere."
The ball's mission to space was captured on video, which can be found below:
The competition gets underway tonight.
Danielle Joynson
