Second T20 ton for in-form Vince
Hampshire skipper hits stunning hundred against Sussex
James Vince hammered the second T20 century of his career as Hampshire collected a fourth successive South qualifying group victory.
The skipper took his run tally to 323 in four innings inside seven stunning days as the county defeated Sussex by six wickets in the second game of an Ageas Bowl double header last night.
Fresh from hitting 56 and 102 for England against Pakistan in ODIs and a 63 in the first of the Blast double header against Essex, Vince struck another 102 - off 59 balls - as Hampshire ended a run of six successive Blast defeats against their south coast rivals.
The win ensured Hampshire remain in the hunt for what would be a remarkable quarter-final appearance.
The county could finish fourth if they beat Glamorgan in their final group game on Sunday and Gloucestershire lose their last game at Somerset on the same day.
If that was the case, Hampshire and Surrey would both have 15 points and it would come down to run rate - Surrey currently have a better rate of 0.33 compared to Hampshire’s 0.10.
Replying to Sussex’s 183-6 total, Vince and D’Arcy Short got off to a rapid start. With the captain playing the dominant role, the century partnership was brought up off the penultimate ball of the 10th over.
Short was first out for 35 after an opening stand of 120 in 12.1 overs and Tom Prest (6) and Colin de Grandhomme (12) didn’t hang around long.
Hampshire still needed 16 to win when Vince eventually fell, dismissed hit wicket from an Ollie Robinson delivery shortly after celebrating his second century in four days.
It was his second T20 ton, following on from an unbeaten 107 against Worcestershire in the quarter-final six years ago. That hundred at New
Road came in Vince’s 90th career T20 innings, and last night’s century, contained 14 fours and three sixes, came in his 247th.
Joe Weatherley got Hampshire over the line with four balls remaining, cracking two fours and a six in a 12-ball innings of 24 not out.
Earlier, former England international Ravi Bopara (64) and Sussex captain Luke Wright (54) had shared a second wicket stand of 104 after new England international Phil Salt had departed in the first over. After hitting the first ball of the game from Liam Dawson to the boundary, he was caught by Brad Wheal off the second delivery.
Rashid Khan (26) and Delroy Rawlins (22) both scored their runs at a strike rate of 200.00 as Sussex posted 183-6 - possibly less than they were hoping for after reaching 106-1 after 12 overs.
■ Middlesex posted their lowest T20 score of just 80 as an inexperienced Kent side recorded a thumping 77-run victory at Lord’s. Kent named a team containing seven debutants following a coronavirus outbreak and one of them, Elliot Hooper, took his chance in style by taking 3-24.
Fellow new boys Matthew Quinn, Safyaan Sharif and Marcus O’Riordan were also among the wickets as Middlesex failed to reach their previous worst tally of 92 against Surrey in 2013.
Kent had posted 157-8 after Harry Finch top scored with 47, while Blake Cullen took433 in a losing effort.
Ex-Hampshire batsman George Munsey, another Kent debutant, swept his ball of the match from Mujeeb Ur Rahman for six but departed
later in the first over.