Cheteshwar Pujara’s 99* leads line as Sussex bid to bat large

Sussex 302 for 4 (Pujara 99*, Coles 74, Alsop 67) vs Gloucestershire

Zafar Gohar was essentially the most profitable Gloucestershire bowler with 2 for 67. But even his efforts on a docile floor couldn’t unsettle the affected person Pujara, who by the shut had confronted 190 balls and hit 13 fours and a six.

Warm sunshine and a drying breeze dispelled fears of a second day washout after solely 16 overs had been doable on day one earlier than persistent heavy rain left standing water on an already moist outfield.

Umpires Billy Taylor and Mark Newell determined play may resume after inspections at 11am, 12.30pm and 1.20pm. Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren opted to open the bowling with left-arm spinner Gohar and it paid fast dividends.

Ali Orr, having added 5 to his in a single day rating of 31, went to reverse sweep the primary ball of the third over and solely succeeded in top-edging a delicate catch to wicketkeeper James Bracey, making the rating 58 for two.

Having superior from 11 to 34, Alsop survived a pointy likelihood to Miles Hammond at gully off Marchant de Lange, the ball stinging the guidelines of the fielder’s fingers on the way in which to the third-man boundary. It was all the nice fortune the Sussex left-hander wanted to progress to fifty, off 123 balls, with 6 fours, out of a complete of 111 for two.

Ominously for Gloucestershire, Pujara appeared to be setting his stall out for an extended innings from the second he took strike. The skilled India Test batter exercised nice warning, significantly in opposition to the correct de Lange, who had figures of 1 for 17 after 11 overs, 4 of them maidens.

Pujara took 78 balls to succeed in 19, however then minimize free with a pulled 4 off de Lange and a sq. minimize boundary off Gohar. By tea, which was taken at 4pm, Sussex had made 138 for two from 49 overs, with Alsop on 63 and Pujara on 28. The guests had been clearly intent on solely batting as soon as in a match already closely curtailed by the climate.

The last session started with Ajeet Dale going previous the within fringe of Alsop’s bat, the ball swinging late and beating Bracey so as to add 4 byes to the whole. Dale troubled each batsmen from the Ashley Down Road End, working up respectable tempo on the sluggish pitch, and acquired his reward when Alsop edged a defensive shot to first slip the place Chris Dent held the catch into his midriff.

At 158 for 3, Sussex wanted to rebuild. But by then Pujara had moved on to 40 off 108 deliveries and seemed effectively set. He was joined by a participant greater than 16 years his junior in England Under-19 worldwide Coles.

With the Seat Unique Stadium bathed in sunshine, Pujara moved to his half-century, having batted for nearly precisely three hours and hit eight fours. He celebrated with a wonderful pushed boundary via further cowl off van Buuren, a sign of the fund of attacking photographs in his locker when he chooses to unleash them, whereas Coles seemed untroubled in sharing a century stand in 24 overs.

The nearest Pujara got here to getting out was an inside edge previous his leg stump off Gofar. He responded by chopping two boundaries off the left-arm spinner’s subsequent over.

Gloucestershire took the second new ball after 80 overs, with the scoreboard studying 258 for 3. But it made no impression as Coles reached a fluent and chanceless fifty off 85 balls, with six fours. The 19-year-old fell within the last over of the day, stumped shifting down the pitch to Gohar in an effort to present Pujara the strike.

The Indian maestro is unlikely to lose any sleep over being on 99 and can look so as to add considerably extra on day three.