LORD’S (Sussex won toss): Sussex Sharks (2pts) beat Middlesex Crusaders by four wickets
FOR the second time in a week, Sussex gave their supporters some uneasy moments during an apparently routine run chase, but ultimately their knowledge of how to win in tight finishes saw them through. Dreams of a treble, therefore, live on, even if Essex will have to lose at Durham if the Sharks are to be crowned Pro40 champions.
Middlesex, who face the threat of dual relegation, were left to rue a rare missed stumping chance by Ben Scott before Carl Hopkinson had scored.Had it been taken, Sussex would have been 94 for five in the 25th over. Hopkinson and Murray Goodwin then added 48 before being parted, whittling down the equation to 44 off the last 35 balls. That became 34 off four, but Goodwin, having failed to hit one four in the previous 21 overs, then struck three off successive balls from Chris Silverwood.
With 19 wanted off three overs, Goodwin and Robin Martin-Jenkins kept their heads admirably. Although Goodwin was yorked for a fine 92 off 112 balls in the final over, only three runs were required from the last four balls. Yasir Arafat straight drove his first ball for four to win the game.
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The Middlesex innings had featured a bizarre incident when Scott Styris would, according to umpire Jeff Evans, have been “timed out” had James Kirtley, the captain, appealed. When Owais Shah was second out in the second over — leg-before to a breakback from Kirtley — Eoin Morgan, the next batsman in, was absent from the home dressing-room, leading to confusion within it. The Pro40 rules state that a new batsman must be taking his guard within 90 seconds of the previous wicket going down.
Styris, who arrived in the middle after a good three minutes’ delay, was met, and questioned, by the umpires, who informed him he had been reprieved by Kirtley, deputising for the injured Chris Adams. As it happened, Styris did not last long, a back spasm causing him to retire hurt.
Middlesex were able to set a competitive target thanks to Ed Smith’s accomplished 87 from 108 balls and Ben Hutton’s 40 from 58. Just when a total of 200 seemed feasible, Arafat returned to bowl a superb spell, taking four wickets in 12 balls.