Essex 149 for five (Pepper 48) beat Sussex 147 (Bopara 50, Cook 4-20) by 5 wickets

Pepper was the Eagles' prime scorer in 2022 with 439 runs and has belatedly began 2023, after a finger harm, with 63 in opposition to Somerset and a trendy 48 from 26 balls at Chelmsford.

Matt Critchley and Daniel Sams accomplished the win with 31 balls to spare as Sussex had been condemned to a fourth straight defeat, as Essex chalked up their third victory from 5 matches.

In the chase, Dan Lawrence was caught at mid-on second ball however Pepper and Rossington received the Eagles off to a flier with 77 runs coming within the powerplay. Henry Crocombe was Rossington's sufferer with a wide range of scoops and pulls to and over the boundary in a 21-run over.

Nathan McAndrew additionally was sprayed for 21 on the different finish in a 10-ball over with Pepper utilizing his crease to create angles to crash 4 fours.

Rossington flamingoed his fourth six however his keep ended when he turned Tymal Mills across the nook to quick leg, earlier than Robin Das and Paul Walter adopted shortly.

Pepper popped Bopara again over his head however Shadab Khan pinned him lbw on the reverse sweep. But Critchley and Sams eased to the end line with a 45-run stand.

Sussex selected to bat and misplaced Toms Clark, Haines and Alsop within the powerplay however Bopara steadied issues with Shadab Khan and Michael Burgess.

Bopara performed 67 residence T20 matches for Essex, having performed from the inaugural 2003 season to 2019, with all however one coming on the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford. He is aware of the scale of the bottom higher than most.

On this event he focused the leg aspect boundary on the Doug Insole Pavilion aspect, dragging Ben Allison for six from outdoors the off stump earlier than to slog sweeps off Simon Harmer. He added 35 with Shadab, and after the Pakistani was bowled by Walter's first ball, Burgess helped carry 40 in 24 balls.

Bopara's forty sixth T20 fifty got here in 30 balls however he departed when Shane Snater grabbed some air to catch at long-on.

Sussex would solely rating one other 33 within the final six overs as Critchley had James Coles and McAndrew within the sixteenth over, Cook returned four-for as he had Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Burgess caught in the identical over.

Sams received the wicket his tight bowling deserved when Mills chipped to a diving Harmer at cowl as Sussex had been bowled out for 147 with three balls unused.