Sussex delighted to pull off win over Hampshire in tight El Classicoast clash

Having struggled in the powerplay when batting first and losing both openers cheaply, Sussex were reliant on key contributions from James Coles (39), Tom Alsop (43) and a rapid-fire 32 off 11 balls from Nathan McAndrew to post 184-8.

The final flourish from McAndrew inspired the Sharks, though, and the bowling of Ollie Robinson, McAndrew himself and captain Tymal Mills, combined with a brilliant wicket of James Vince from Coles (1-29), kept the Hawks consistently behind the required run rate.

When all was said and done, after Danny Lamb’s nerve-shredding final over, Sussex were relieved to have secured victory, but in the larger picture would be delighted to pull off a sixth win from eight matches in this year’s Blast and go second in the South Group.

After a beautiful afternoon, the proceedings began in inhospitable cloud cover outside Southampton, where the cavernous Utilita Bowl was roughly half-full.

Hampshire captain James Vince won the toss, which was an invaluable slice of luck given the recent change in conditions, and the aggressive move after his bowling attack was bolstered by the return of Liam Dawson.

Sussex would be more aggrieved by the change in weather than the toss result, though, when their only warmth coming out to the middle was from a respectable array of pitchside fireworks.

Michael Neser, a Pretoria-born Queenslander but very much at home in Hampshire, refused to extend a warm welcome either in a slow Sussex powerplay.

The 34-year-old Australia international disrupted the flow of Sussex’s openers, who had been in such destructive form the previous night, and drew a top edge from Harrison Ward in the second over which Ben McDermott caught impressively.

Daniel Hughes fared slightly better, but was soon bowled by his fellow Australian Neser on just 13 – his second-lowest score of the Blast.

Middle-order resistance was required but had not been a strength of Sussex’s in this season’s campaign to that point.

When John Simpson fell for two runs to give Neser his third wicket, the powerplay ended with a whimper at 51-3, and Fynn Hudson-Prentice fared little better, holing out for three to a well-claimed catch for McDermott, who wheeled far away to his left to claim the ball.

Fortunately, the arrogance of youth saw James Coles lead a timely resistance for Sussex, keeping the score ticking over with lovely tucks off the hips and well-judged singles.

Boundaries remained a rarity throughout, and this ultimately led to Coles’ frustration, which saw him attempt a scoop but find the hands of Benny Howell to be out for 39.

20-year-old Coles had at least set a foundation, and with Neser and the economical Dawson almost bowled out at this stage, Sussex had a chance to make something respectable.

Tom Alsop needed no added motivation to perform on his return to the club that released him at the end of 2022.

The 28-year-old began watchfully, as he often does, but soon found his flow on a pitch he knows so well and took two crucial boundaries off Neser’s final over.

Danny Lamb’s flowing confidence from a career-best T20 score of 40 the previous night was another spark for a much-needed Sharks comeback, as a delicious ramped six off James Fuller – the first of the innings – showed.

Soon, Alsop and Lamb were piercing the Hampshire field with precision and forced the fielders onto the boundary, from where the batsmen could treat Brad Wheal and Chris Wood with more disdain than the long-serving Hawks bowlers are used to.

Eventually, Lamb went for one shot too many as Wood held a stunning catch off his own bowling that came high over his shoulder, but Alsop was not done.

Taking on the off-colour Fuller, the former Hampshire man struck a six and then a four towards the Nursery Ground on the leg side to supercharge the innings.

Unfortunately, in the same 18th over Alsop picked out the hands of Vince at mid-off, falling for 43 off 27 balls and leaving Nathan McAndrew to finish the job alongside Ollie Robinson.

While Robinson fell for an ugly run out in the final over, being sent back by McAndrew but not making his ground, Sussex’s Australian bowler took on the baton superbly, striking two sixes and a four off a no ball off a ragged Wheal to push Sussex to 184-8.

That score had given Sussex every chance after their slow start, and when backed up by some superb powerplay bowling by Robinson, the Sharks soon entered a position of control for the first time all night.

The England bowler conceded just nine runs off his first two overs, including six dot balls, and making two of the finest openers in the Blast rather unhappy was a great result.

Tymal Mills took advantage, with McDermott top-edging and Simpson coolly taking a difficult catch out of the dark grey skies.

Fletcha Middleton took the attack back to Sussex on just his second Blast appearance, but after collecting 16 runs entirely from boundaries, the 22-year-old was out to a fiery McAndrew.

Sussex’s Australian finished the powerplay superbly as well, conceding just one from the sixth over as Hampshire reached the seventh over at 38-2.

For as long as Vince – the Blast’s highest-ever run scorer, and 12th-highest run scorer in global T20 cricket history – was still in the middle, however, Hampshire could be confident of their chances.

Vince’s modus operandi is so often to last the innings, as his 10,000-plus T20 runs and record of 65 50s and five 100s could attest.

Sussex were fully aware of this and threw Robinson on for his fourth over after the powerplay to try and wile out the 33-year-old batsman, only to go for 12 runs.

It was down to Sussex’s less experienced bowlers to take on the challenge from there, and spinners Coles and Archie Lenham bowled tidily to keep the pressure up as Hampshire reached the halfway stage at 70-2.

As the fantastic fielding of the powerplay ebbed away though, with Lenham spilling the ball over the boundary, Hughes missing the chance to cut off a four and Oli Carter coming on as a substitute fielder to concede runs, Sussex dropped off at a key time.

Hampshire collected a useful 53 runs between the 10th and the 15th overs whilst capitalising on these errors, but with just one six in that time, the run rate was never rapid.

The brave call in the 16th over was to then recall Coles, who could have gone for bucketloads as the Hawks aimed to push on.

The youngster rewarded captain Mills’ faith, though, bowling Vince with a peculiar ball that sneaked past his bat and ended the Hampshire captain’s crucial knock of 52.

The depth of Hampshire’s batting card dictated that the contest was far from over, however.

Benny Howell came out and smashed consecutive sixes on the off-side, while Joe Weatherley kept up his quietly brilliant innings, reaching 50 off 38 balls.

The game was right in the balance until the penultimate over, when Mills sent down six expert deliveries and conceded just five runs, leaving the hosts needing 25 off the final over.

Or at least most onlookers thought, until Danny Lamb conceded four straight fours to Weatherley.

That put the pressure massively on the bowler with Hampshire needing nine runs off the final two balls, but two composed deliveries followed to see Sussex home with a winning margin of seven runs.

WHAT THEY SAID

Sharks captain Tymal Mills: “We’ve had a few starts this season but our middle and lower order have bailed us out. McAndrew played a brilliant knock, which he’s done a few times, and we walked off knowing it was a score we could defend.

“It got a bit close in the end but it rounds off a really excellent first eight games for us.

“In the last few overs I just told the bowlers to bowl their best ball in that situation. I’ve played a lot of cricket here in the Hundred and know it gets easier to chase.

“I thought we held our nerve brilliantly, especially young James Coles bowling the 15th over and getting Vince out.

“These are games we probably would have lost in the last couple of years but the whole squad have got more confident. We can still get better but we’re happy with how we have gone so far in the comp.”

Sharks all-rounder Nathan McAndrew: “It got tight towards the end and it was a scrappy performance with the bat, but we hung in there and we managed to get a few at the end.

“The feedback from our top order was that they struggled to get the ball away early to four day cricket lengths, and there was a bit in the wicket. It helped having a Test bowler in Ollie Robinson in those conditions and we were able to hold the run rate up early and contain it throughout.

“It has been a great turnaround from last year. T20 wasn’t our best format last year and it is a young group – in T20 traditionally it is an experienced person’s game.

“I have been blown away with how some of the young batters have taken it by the scruff of the neck. I have been really impressed by how they upskilled themselves through the winter and they are now playing some fearless cricket.”