Sussex’s slim knockout hopes ended as Gloucestershire cruise to victory
Gloucestershire 165 for five (Charlesworth 34) beat Sussex 160 for 9 (Burgess 64*, Ward 54, van Buuren 2-13) by 5 wickets
Sussex Sharks’ hopes of compacting into the knockout levels of the Vitality Blast ended with a disappointing five-wicket defeat in opposition to Gloucestershire at Hove.
Their 160 for 9 by no means seemed sufficient regardless of a sluggish pitch and Gloucestershire, who have been already out of the reckoning for the quarter-finals eased to victory with 19 balls to spare, Ben Charlesworth top-scoring with 34 as he grew to become their first batter to go 300 runs on this season’s competitors.
It means Surrey, Hampshire, Essex and Kent will struggle it out on Sunday to hitch Somerset within the knockout levels whereas Sussex have been left to remorse that they solely gained certainly one of their seven video games on the 1st Central County Ground.
Gloucestershire at all times appeared to have the sport below management after they decreased Sussex to 52 for 4 within the seventh over. Ajeet Dale picked up two wickets within the powerplay together with Sharks’ skipper Ravi Bopara, who had made 108 within the win in opposition to Kent on Friday.
This time he obtained a vanguard, with Charlesworth taking a fantastic catch working in from midwicket, and when Shadab Khan gave a return catch to Tom Smith within the subsequent over, Gloucestershire have been in management.
Smith ought to have had Michael Burgess caught on 21 however Grant Roelofsen dropped an easy catch within the covers. It was to show a pricey miss as Burgess and Harrison Ward added 64 from 47 balls with Ward reaching his second T20 fifty, the opposite having are available in Sussex’s win in Bristol final week.
The Sharks accelerated with 46 scored between the thirteenth and sixteenth over however when Ward dragged a ball from exterior off stump and was caught at long-on Gloucestershire squeezed once more, taking 4 wickets for simply ten runs with left-arm spinner Graeme van Buuren selecting up Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Nathan McAndrew in an impressive spell of 4-0-13-2 throughout which he did not concede a boundary.
Burgess reached the second T20 fifty of his profession in a useful ultimate over when 18 have been taken off Josh Shaw with Burgess hitting the final two balls for six as he completed on 64 from 51 deliveries, nevertheless it did not look to be sufficient.
Gloucestershire’s reply was given a terrific begin by South African Roelofsen, who hit 30 off 14 balls earlier than changing into the primary of two wickets in three balls for McAndrew, who then pinned Ben Wells in entrance, within the fifth over.
Bopara needed to go off taking a blow to the correct hand stopping a straight drive from Charlesworth within the ninth over and though his alternative Hudson-Prentice bowled Charlesworth to maintain Sussex within the contest, Gloucestershire have been at all times forward of the run price.
Sussex used eight bowlers and Shadab’s googly was too good for van Buuren within the fifteenth over, however James Bracey and Jack Taylor chased down the goal with the minimal of fuss and a disappointing marketing campaign for Sussex was summed up when the successful runs got here from 4 wides.
Gloucestershire might nonetheless have a say within the battle for the highest 4 once they conclude their marketing campaign in opposition to Hampshire on the Ageas Bowl on Sunday.