A 26-ball fifty by Chris Cooke, plus a return of 3/28 by Jamie McIlroy saw Glamorgan beat the Sussex Sharks by 32-runs at Hove.
Friday evening’s thrilling victory over the Kent Spitfires at Cardiff has lifted Glamorgan into third place in the table. With the 1st XI having won three of their four Blast games so far, and the 2nd XI having won all seven of their matches as they seek to defend their T20 crown, the mood is buoyant in the Welsh county’s camp as they head to the South Coast to meet the Sharks who currently are languishing in eighth place in the table having lost last night by ten wickets to the Hampshire Hawks at The Ageas Bowl.
Having heard today that Michael Neser is in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship Final at The Oval, the Welsh county are also seeking to make it four wins from their opening five games in the competition - something that they have achieved three times before in the competition - 2004, 2013 and 2016. Having made one change to their line-up which beat the Kent Spitfires with Ruaidhri Smith replacing Zain ul Hassan, it was the regular duo of Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast who opened the batting against Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Tymal Mills.
Byrom drilled Hudson-Prentice for four through the covers and to long-on before having a life at point as James Coles missed the chance. Byrom celebrated by guiding Mills to third man but later in the over, the batter was struck a painful blow on the hip forcing his retirement, as Kiran Carlson made his way to the middle with his team on 19-0.
He began by lofting Hudson-Prentice twice over long-on for six against Henry Crocombe. Carlson also survived a sharp chance at point as Tom Alsop failed to hold onto a fierce drive from the acting captain but later in the over he skied another expansive blow and was caught by wicket-keeper Mark Burgess.
52-1 saw Colin Ingram join Northeast who hoiked McAndrew to mid-wicket for four before square-driving the Australian for another boundary as Glamorgan ended the powerplay on 73-1.
Shadab Khan, the leg-spinner from Pakistan, entered the attack at the Cromwell Road End and was harpooned over mid-wicket for six by Northeast. Ingram also greeted the introduction of Ravi Bopara by cover-driving the Sharks captain before sweeping Shadab for four as the hundred came up in the tenth over with Northeast again sweeping the spinner for six over mid-wicket. But next over he was caught in the covers, driving at Crocombe as Chris Cooke joined Ingram with the pair having amassed 296 runs in their last two innings.
Cooke on-drive Bopara for four but with Mills also returning the tempo briefly dipped before Ingram cut Shadab for four followed by a slog-sweep for six. Cooke also hit him inside-out through point for four before scything McAndrew through point and over extra-cover for four and six. Ingram then swept Bopara to fine-leg and long-off for another pair of boundaries but on 48 he drove Crocombe to Hudson-Prentice at long-on with Glamorgan on 171-3.
Billy Root drove his first ball for four before Cooke swatted Mills over long-on for six, with Root also lofting the paceman for a massive six over square-leg. Cooke then pulled Crocombe for six before flaying him over extra-cover for another maximum as the 200 came up in the penultimate over. He then struck the bowler back over his head for four to complete his fifty from 26 balls. He then pulled Mills to the fielder at mid-wicket as Dan Douthwaite came in to face the rest of the final over with the burly all-rounder swatting the paceman for six before holing out at long-on as the Welsh county ended on 219-5 - their fourth highest total in T20 cricket and their best-ever against Sussex surpassing the 198-3 at Arundel in 2017.
Jamie McIlroy opened the bowling from the Cromwell Road End and was driven through mid-off by Tom Clark, whilst Ruaidhri Smith operated at the Sea End and was straight-driven for four by Tom Haines. But Clark heaved across the line and was bowled by McIlroy with the Sharks losing their first wicket on 19. It then became 24-2 as Alsop drilled Douthwaite back to the bowler whose right boot deflected the ball onto the stumps with Haines out of his ground. Ravi Bopara announced his arrival by lofting Prem Sisodiya to long-off for four before Alsop flicked the spinner to fine-leg for another boundary, followed by a cover-driven four against Smith plus a pull to mid-wicket.
Bopara also drilled Smith inside-out over the covers as the Sharks ended the powerplay on 51-2 before Alsop swatted Carlson for four to mid-wicket before Bopara pulled full toss into the hands of Callum Taylor, the substitute fielder, at long-on to give Carlson his first wicket in T20 cricket. The acting captain then claimed a second in his next over as Shadab Khan slog-swept him into Billy Root’s hands at deep mid-wicket.
With the required asking rate having risen to fourteen, Peter Hatzoglou entered the attack and was pulled for four by a pair of fours by Mark Burgess who added a square-drive as well. Alsop then pulled Sisodiya for four before on-driving him for six as he completed a 33-ball fifty. Burgess also pulled a long-hop from Hatzoglou for four, followed by a deft cut before Burgess was caught at extra-cover as he miscued a drive against Douthwaite as the target became 99 from 36 balls.
Burgess scythed Hatzoglou to mid-wicket for four with Carlson also sustaining a finger injury as he attempted a catch at wide long-on. But with the total on 133 Smith returned to bowl Alsop with a yorker. James Coles biffed his first ball for four before being dropped at deep mid-wicket but miscued McIlroy and was caught by substitute fielder Andy Gorvin at mid-off. Next ball Burgess drilled Douthwaite into Smith’s hands at long-off.
Hudson-Prentice and McAndrew each clubbed Douthwaite for six as Sussex entered the last two overs still needing 59. McAndrew then pulled McIlroy for another maximum before being dropped at mid-wicket. Hudson-Prentice was then bowled by McIlroy before McAndrew clubbed successive full tosses from Douthwaite for another six as Sussex ended on 187-8 to give Glamorgan a 32-run victory.