Glos suffer agonising Duckworth/Lewis defeat to Sussex
20 May 2016
In the first game under floodlights at Bristol, Gloucestershire were denied the chance to light up the Brightside Ground as the weather brought a premature end to their match with Sussex.
Chasing 243 after the Sharks posted a club record score, the home side burned brightly but all too briefly, reaching 83-1 – an agonising 1 run behind the required Duckworth/Lewis score when play was abandoned halfway through the seventh over.
Skipper Michael Klinger (42 not out) and Ian Cockbain (24*) led the way as Glos raced ahead of where the visitors had been at the same point.
The pair put on 69 after Hamish Marshall (12) had been well caught by a diving Danny Briggs off the bowling of Ajmal Shazad in the second over.
But when the umpires pulled the players off midway through the seventh there was nothing even the talismanic skipper could do.
To listen to Michael’s thoughts on the decision to come off and on the team’s performance click below.
Earlier Sussex had posted their highest ever T20 score thanks to a calculated and brutal 93 not out off just 48 balls by New Zealand international Ross Taylor.
Like a heavy heavyweight boxer circling his opponent, Ross Taylor was prepared to bide his time for the chance to deliver a series of knock out blows – eventually striking 4 fours and 8 sixes.
Coming in at 62-2 in the sixth over he announced his intentions with a slog sweep into the car park off David Payne in the ninth over, another maximum over cover from Jack Taylor & a heave over the ropes from Benny Howell to make it 108-2 after 11 overs.
He also hit consecutive sixes from Chris Liddle in a 13th over that yielded 25 runs and three maximums and two fours from Payne in the 17th.
The Kiwi shared in stands of 88 with Ben Brown (43 off 25) and 69 with Matt Machan (31 off 12) as Gloucestershire struggled to defend the short boundaries on two sides of the ground.
Sussex were also awarded an extra six runs for a slow Glos over rate.
In a bowling performance that at times lacked the control that characterised Gloucestershire’s one-day cricket last year only Craig Miles (2-29 from 3), Tom Smith (1-31 from 4) and Taylor (0-27 from 3) were able to get on top of the Sussex batters for any period of time.
Chris Nash (30 off 17 balls) has started the Sharks assault before becoming Miles’ first wicket – clean bowled in the fifth over to make it 48-1.
He was in the action again in the next over, taking the catch at point as Salt top edged a reverse sweep from Smith to fall for 24 with the score on 62.
This brought Taylor to the crease and despite wickets for Howell (2-50) and Smith at the other end the New Zealander remained dominant throughout.
Gloucestershire’s next NatWest T20 Blast match sees them take on Middlesex at Merchant Taylor’s School on June 2.
