Sussex Sharks lose in T20

There is not much gained by having the best bowling attack in the T20 – north and south – if you cannot bat as Sussex Sharks showed last night at Hove losing to division leaders Gloucestershire. The Sharks only amassed 127, Laurie Evans  the only one to make a decent score of 41.

With the formidable Michael Klinger, top scorer in the T20, this should not have proved any difficulty for Gloucestershire who also had a Hammond in the team (Miles not Wally).

Sussex only had one hope: 19 year old leggie Rashid Khan.

I have never seen a spinner deliver so fast, he is really medium pace with spin and deceptions of flight. He took two wickets in his opening two overs – including that of Klinger – but for some  daft reason skipper Luke Wright took him off and there ended Sussex chances. Gloucestershire won by 4 wickets with two overs to spare.

Time and time again Sussex batters holed out to long on.

True it seemed a difficult wicket and the pace of David Payne was hard to defend in the half light, though what a gorgeous sunset it was, but these were catches, not bowled out.

Tymal Mills of Sussex  is quick but wayward, a bit like Devon Malcolm a few years back and the spinners – Danny Briggs a more orthodox slow spinner than Rashid – did much better than the speedsters. There were a few moments when Sussex looked like they might get back into the game but Gloucestershire are a fine white ball side who seem  less interested in the county championship, were always  dominant.

This is now, after Surrey, the second successive flaccid display by Sussex at Hove. To achieve a top four berth and the quarter finals we must beat Middlesex tonight at Lords and high-flying Somerset at Hove on Sunday. Unlike in football the captain is tactically more hands-on.

Sussex coach Jason Gillespie won the Australian Big Bash with Adelaide, for whom Rashid Khan played, and had he been able to do so he surely would have kept him on and not left the decision to Luke Wright.

I do not really enjoy T20 for its noise, baseball style-slugging and lack of ebb and flow and wondered about watching the game on TV. The thought of the sun setting to the accompaniment of a Harvey ale swayed me but as with Surrey I made my excuses and left to catch a bus home before the last rites as it was clear there would only be one result.