A brilliant 65* from just 31 balls by Chris Cooke, who was celebrating his 28th birthday, saw Glamorgan to a last-ball victory by five wickets against the Sussex Sharks in the NatWest T20 Blast at the SWALEC Stadium.
Glamorgan included Darren Sammy in their line-up for the first time, whilst Graham Wagg and Murray Goodwin also returned to action having spent a week on the sidelines with a groin strain and a chest infection respectively. After winning the toss, Jim Allenby elected to bowl first in the cloudy conditions under the Cardiff floodlights, and Ed Joyce cover drove the first ball bowled by Wagg for four. But the rest of the over only cost a single, whilst Michael Hogan's opening over only cost two runs.
Luke Wright then biffed Wagg to wide long-on for a massive six before depositing Will Owen over long-off for another maximum. Next over he scythed Hogan to the mid-wicket ropes but next ball his namesake Ben pouched the ball on the mid-wicket boundary as Sussex lost their first wicket.
His departure saw Matt Prior arrive in the middle, and he was soon into his stride with a flick to square-leg for four, followed by a pair of deftly steered fours through backward point as Sussex ended the powerplays on 52/1. Sammy then had his first bowl at the River End, in tandem with Dean Cosker with neither bowler conceding a boundary in their opening overs.
Prior though then speared Sammy to the ropes at mid-wicket before Joyce despatched the West Indian through mid-off for four as the Sharks reached 79/1 at the mid-way point. Allenby then replaced Sammy and was flicked to long-leg by Prior. After nearly being bowled, Joyce then harpooned Cosker over the mid-wicket fence for six before Joyce brought up the hundred by straight driving the spinner for six.
With the total on 102, Allenby bowled Joyce as the visiting captain tried another flamboyant stroke and it might have become 106/3 but Goodwin dropped Rory Hamilton-Brown. However, he made amends next ball as he held onto a cut from Prior to end the England wicket-keeper's feisty innings. Chris Nash survived an appeal for caught behind as Sammy returned before Hamilton-Brown swatted Allenby for six into the Pavilion seats. Two balls later Nash repeated the stroke before the third six of the over saw Hamilton-Brown drive the ball into the River Stand.
Next over, Cosker removed Nash as Wagg held a good low catch at short extra-cover as the Sharks stuttered again at 134/4. Hamilton-Brown and Ben Brown then ran some swift singles to take the score to 150 before the latter clattered Hogan for successive fours through the off-side. Wagg then bowled Hamilton-Brown before having Yasir Arafat caught by the agile Cosker in successive balls in his final frugal over. Brown then struck Hogan for successive fours before being bowled by the Australian. Steffan Piolet then edged the last ball of the innings to the vacant third man boundary for four as the Sharks ended on 178/7
Jacques Rudolph and Allenby began Glamorgan's response as Jon Lewis shared the new ball with Arafat. The latter nearly removed Allneby in his opening over but, like a full back trying to catch a high ball, and the selector's eye for the Possibles against the Probables at the Liberty Stadium, he spilled a sprawling lunge at mid-wicket. The captain celebrated his good fortune by pulling Lewis for six before square-cutting the veteran seamer for four as the home side ended the powerplays on 39/0.
Yardy's spin was then introduced with the experienced twirler making the breakthrough with the total on 43 as Allenby was caught behind. Goodwin joined Rudolph who reverse-lapped Piolet for four before drilling Yardy straight for four followed by an exquisite cover drive for another boundary as the Springbok attempted to up the tempo. But two wickets then fell in the space of four balls as Goodwin holed out at deep extra cover before Wallace swatted Nash into Wright's hands on the point boundary as the home side slipped to 76/3 in the 11
th over.
Chris Cooke then joined Rudolph and began with a nurdle for four against Liddle, and then a lofted drive for four against Nash. Prior then missed a stumping against Cooke who reverse-swept the next ball for four to bring up the hundred as the equation became 76 from seven overs. Cooke maintained the flurry of boundaries by clubbing Lewis for four before smearing Piolet to third man.
Rudolph completed his fifty from 43 balls but was then caught at deep cover by Joyce as the target became 57 from 5 with Ben Wright joining Cooke. The new batsman lofted Yardy over mid-wicket after the spinner had slipped over the previous delivery and he departed the field before Wright hoisted Liddle who completed the over to square-leg for another six. Next over Wright was caught behind as Sammy arrived with 36 still needed off 21 balls as Sammy arrived at the crease.
Cooke struck two more fours before swatting Arafat for six to complete a 25-ball fifty
as the equation became 18 off 12 balls. Cooke then drilled Liddle for successive four straight and through extra cover before Sammy launched the seamer to wide long-on for another boundary as Arafat bowled the final over with four needed and after three singles Sammy faced two dot balls before hoisting the last ball high over square-leg where Matt Machan, the substitute fielder could not quite hold onto the catch leaving the crowd to celebrate a five-wicket victory for the Welsh side, and a superb 65 from 31 balls by Cooke, and the visitors rueing the missed stumping earlier in the innings.
Watch the match highlights below