Jordan Cox 82* helps hold Kent in knockout rivalry
Kent 172 for 4 (Cox 82*) beat Sussex 169 for 7 (Bopara 53, Hogan 4-31) by six wickets
Jordan Cox led Kent Spitfires to their fourth Vitality Blast win in a row as they beat Sussex Sharks by six wickets on the 1st Central County Ground in Hove.
Cox hit an unbeaten 82 off simply 44 deliveries, with six fours and 5 sixes. And he was properly supported on the finish by Jack Leaning, who made an unbeaten 28 from 26 balls. Spitfires wanted 12 runs from the ultimate two overs however Cox noticed his facet dwelling with eight balls to spare when he hit the in any other case spectacular Ari Karvelas to leg for successive sixes.
Both the Sharks and the Spitfires needed to win this match to maintain their ambitions within the Vitality Blast and each side had proven some encouraging type in current weeks after usually disappointing campaigns.
The Spitfires, chasing 170, bought off to a great begin with 25 from the primary two overs however then Karvelas got here on to bowl the third, bowling Tawanda Muyeye together with his first supply after which having Joe Denly caught behind together with his fourth ball. When Tymal Mills got here on to bowl the fourth over he had the Spitfires captain Sam Billings caught behind for simply 2 and instantly Kent had been on the again foot at 28 for 3.
But Cox put Kent on prime as soon as extra with a fourth wicket stand of 70 in seven overs with Daniel Bell-Drummond. The pair regarded in complete management earlier than, within the eleventh over, Bell-Drummond tried to work Ravi Bopara to high-quality leg and bought a prime edge. Cox, although, carried on, reaching his half-century from 31 balls with 5 fours and a six. He then celebrated the landmark by hoisting Brad Currie over square-leg for six, earlier than reverse scooping George Garton over third man for an additional most earlier than his ultimate flurry of strokeplay in opposition to Karvelas.
Sussex had been guided to a complete of 169 for 7 by their captain, Bopara, who hit a usually fluent 53 from 39 deliveries, with 4 fours and two sixes. They will need to have hoped for extra after reaching the top of the fifteenth with a rating of 133 for 3, however they had been annoyed on the finish of their innings by some high-quality dying bowling from Michael Hogan and Wes Agar, who had come into the facet for Kane Richardson, who had a facet pressure.
Harrison Ward had bought the Sharks off to a high-quality begin, as they crashed 44 runs from the primary 5 overs. But from the final ball of the fifth over the in-form Ward, who is usually missed for these matches, was caught on the square-leg boundary off Hogan for a 21-ball 32.
Tom Clark once more made a great begin with out progressing, and Oli Carter regarded within the temper after lifting Grant Stewart onto the pavilion roof for six. When he was out, properly caught by Cox at further cowl, the perfect likelihood of an enormous complete rested with the skilled pair of Bopara and Tom Alsop.
They added 43 in 4 overs however then Alsop was caught at long-on by Bell-Drummond off Fred Klaassen and even Bopara was unable to provide the innings a gloss end in opposition to some tight bowling and fielding from the Spitfires.