Despite a career-best 63* by Ben Wright, the Sussex Sharks defeated Glamorgan by eight wickets with his namesake Luke blasting an imperious 92 from 46 balls in their NatWest T20 Blast encounter at Hove
The Welsh county made two changes to their line-up for tonight's sell-out contest under the floodlights at Hove, with Graham Wagg and Aneurin Donald playing in place of Chris Cooke who is absent because of family reasons and Ruaidhri Smith. As last week, Jacques Rudolph and Colin Ingram opened the batting as Michael Yardy and Tymal Mills delivered the first two overs. Ingram struck the first boundaries as he savagely cut Mills for four before despatching the quickie through extra cover. But Mills made the perfect response as next ball he had Ingram caught down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Craig Cachopa.
13/1 saw Ben Wright join his captain, who responded by pulling Ollie Robinson's first two deliveries for four. Later in the over Wright punched the seamer through extra cover for four before Rudolph clipped Mills to fine-leg. But with the total on 39, Rudolph was bowled by Chris Liddle in the seamer's opening over as the ball clipped the edge of the visiting captain's off stump. His departure saw Donald make his way to the middle and he began by confidently driving Yardy to the boundary boards, but Liddle then claimed a second wicket as the teenager miscued a ball back to the seamer.
Mark Wallace brought up the fifty by steering Liddle to the ropes behind square before the leg-spin of Will Beer was introduced into the attack. Wright greeted the spinner by reverse- sweeping him for four before Wallace struck a slower ball from Robinson back over the bowler's head for another boundary. The pair continued to work the spin and seamer around before Wright sweep-slogged Beer for four. They also scampered some quick one's and two's as the Welsh county reached 77/3 at the halfway stage.
Yardy then returned to the attack and was hoisted for four by Wallace just out of the grasp of the fielder at deep square-leg, before George Bailey at mid-wicket spilled a chance as Wallace played another impish drive against Beer. But it did not prove to be an expensive drop as next ball Luke Wright safely pouched another assertive blow. With the score on 88/4 in the eleventh over, Craig Meschede joined Wright and he began by straight driving Matt Machan for six, four and six from successive deliveries as the hundred came up, and then after a dot ball, he blasted another leg-side boundary as the spinner's over yielded 21 runs.
However, it proved to be a brief cameo from the all-rounder as he was bowled in Beer's next over. This saw the arrival of Graham Wagg - the county's leading run scorer in Championship cricket and the man who has hit the most number of sixes this season by any batsman in the country in the first-class cricket. However, it was Wright who struck the next boundaries as he despatched Beer for successive fours to square-leg and backward point.
Wright,, who had provided the backbone to the innings, then reached his fifty from 38 balls but with the total on 134, Mills sent Mills' middle stump cartwheeling out of the ground with David Lloyd joining Wright for the closing overs. He began by steering Liddle through point for four before drilling the seamer through extra cover for another boundary. Wright then flicked Liddle to square-leg for four to reach the 150-mark. Lloyd was then caught at mid-off to the first ball of the final over from Mills, before Wright upper cut the left-armer to successive fours to third man with Andrew Salter striking the final ball to the baords at mid-wicket as Glamorgan ended on 164/7.
Colin Ingram delivered the opening over with Luke Wright sending the leg-spinner's second delivery through extra cover for four, before Chris Nash despatched the fourth to the long-on boundary. Wright then pulled Hogan to the boards at square-leg before Nash clattered Meschede through extra cover for another four. The helter-skelter start continued as Wright punched Meschede to the ropes at long-on before Nash pulled a short ball from Hogan for another boundary.
Later in the over, Wright despatched Hogan through mid-off before Nash pulled Wagg's first ball to the ropes, and then drilling the second through mid-off as the Sharks raced to the 50-mark after just 26 balls and continued their efforts which had seen their side to a ten-wicket victory at Cardiff. Wright struck a third boundary in the over as he pulled the left-armer behind square on the leg-side before Nash unfurled a ramp stoke to Lloyd as he posted his sixth boundary in as many overs.
The efforts of the openers saw Sussex to 64/0 at the end of the powerplay overs before Rudolph and Dean Cosker entered the attack in an attempt to apply the brakes to the innings At first, the spinners restricted the batsmen to just one's and two's but Wright then pulled Rudolph for six before Nash swatted him through mid-off for four. Wright then completed a 30-ball fifty by lofted Cosker straight for six as the hundred came up in the tenth over.
Salter then entered the attack in place of Rudolph and was despatched over mid-wicket and long-off for successive sixes by Wright before Nash also completed his half-century from 30 balls. Wagg then returned to the fray as the target became 49 from 54 balls and with his third delivery he dismissed Nash as Lloyd at deep extra cover completed the catch. Machan joined Wright who proceeded to despatch Wagg over extra-cover and fine leg for another pair of fours.
Machan got off the mark by driving Hogan straight for six and four before Wright pulled Wagg to square-leg for another four. With the total on 143 Wagg claimed a second wicket as Machan was well caught low down at cover by the debutant Donald. With George Bailey as his new partner, Wright struck Cosker for successive sixes before Bailey also struck the spinner for a maximum as he saw his side to victory with 31 balls to spare with the second heavy defeat by the Sharks further denting Glamorgan's net rate.