T20 BLAST RETURNS WITH A BANG!
Our summer slugfest is up and running...
SUFFERING defeat at the hands of a local boy is always painful, so for two of your own to come back and haunt you feels particularly cruel.
But that is what befell Sussex on Wednesday as they slipped to a second T20 Blast loss in as many matches – going down by 19 runs at Hove to a Hampshire side that have a 100 per cent record intact.
Cuckfield-born James Vince smashed 81 off just 48 balls to help set a daunting total of 188-3 before 20-year-old Mason Crane – also known as England’s next great leg-spin hope – removed key men Luke Wright and Ross Taylor to finish with figures of 2-24.
Crane was born in Shoreham and attended Lancing College, and returned to his home county to halt a Sussex partnership that threatened to put the hosts on track to chase down their imposing target.
Wright and Taylor had moved their side to 96-2 from 11 overs, more or less on par with the runrate, before the former was caught at long-off by a diving Rilee Rossouw.
The latter was then tempted down the track to try to hit through midwicket shortly after, only to be smartly stumped by gloveman Lewis McManus.
That turned the game with David Wiese’s late hitting (three sixes in a quick-fire 28) proving to be in vain as Hampshire maintained their perfect start in style.
Before his spectacular catch, Rossouw (46 from 31 balls) had put on 109 with Vince for the opening wicket and South African seamer Kyle Abbott, who took 3-22 himself, believes the openers hitting form together bodes incredibly well moving forward.
“We had a great partnership up front between Rilee Rossouw and James Vince and, hopefully, they can kick on during the season,” explained Abbott.
“We have come into the competition with a bit of energy and
we have won two tight games and got some momentum going.
“On Friday (the opening, 22run victory against Glamorgan), in my final over I bowled I went for 11 runs.
“I did a bit of work with the coaches and this was much better. I want to bowl during key overs and take wickets, as well as challenge myself at those important stages of an innings.”
Abbott removed Chris Nash after the veteran had put on 33 for the first wicket with Wright, before Ben Brown fell cheaply to Gareth Berg.
Wright and Taylor looked dangerous until Crane’s double intervention and Abbott had Laurie Evans caught before rearranging Jofra Archer’s stumps as Sussex’s innings petered out.
The likelihood of the hosts chasing down 188 always looked slim and it was the heroics of Rossouw and Vince – who plundered four consecutive boundaries off the beleaguered Archer at one point – that laid the foundation for the big total.
Rossouw eventually holed out off the bowling of Will Beer but Michael Carberry expertly took up the mantle with a 46 from 31 balls that did not lose steam despite Vince being clean bowled by Archer with five overs left.
And despite following an opening 18-run loss to Glamorgan with a second defeat, Sussex coach Mark Davis is adamant his troops are slowly heading in the right direction.
“It is a game of fine margins,” he said. “I thought it was a better performance than Sunday and playing another bowler made the team much better balanced.
“Let’s not forget we were up against a strong Hampshire side. I think all their top six are all internationals.
“They are a very good team who got a good score which we got close to getting.
“We’re only two games into a 14-game tournament. Once we get that first win there’s no reason why we can’t get some momentum going and get ourselves on a roll.”