Another David Wiese fifty, but Sussex Sharks fall short against Middlesex

David Wiese’s second half-century in four days wasn’t enough to prevent Sussex Sharks falling to a 74-run defeat against Middlesex in Friday’s Royal London One-Day Cup match at The 1st Central County Ground.

Paul Stirling defied a thigh injury which forced him to bat with a runner to score his second century in less than a week. He went on to make 116 from 129 balls to add to his 125 against Kent earlier in the competition and help Middlesex post 288 for 4 from their 50 overs.

Sussex were never really in contention with only David Wiese, who made his second successive half-century, mastering an accurate attack in which skipper Steven Finn took 3-29 and left-arm spinner Ravi Patel 4-58. They were bowled out for 214 from 43.5 overs. 

Stirling and Nick Gubbins put on 198 for the first wicket, Middlesex’s second-highest partnership against Sussex in List A cricket, after they were put in.

On a slow pitch Sussex bowled with decent control and Middlesex were never able to score at more than six runs an over. But Stirling and Gubbins found the gaps and punished anything loose as they passed Middlesex’s previous first-wicket best against Sussex, 160 by Owais Shah and Justin Langer in 1999.

Stirling played within himself but still struck nine fours and two sixes in his 14th List A hundred which he brought up shortly before Gubbins, whose 86 came off 94 balls with two sixes and nine fours, was leg before to Danny Briggs’ quicker ball.

The slow left-armer also picked up Stirling when he holed out to deep mid-wicket while England captain Eoin Morgan was caught in the covers off Ollie Robinson for 23.

John Simpson made an unbeaten 22 and Wiese picked up the other wicket in the penultimate over when Hilton Cartwright (27) top-edged to extra cover.

Sussex’s reply ran into early problems when Finn removed openers Phil Salt, deputising for the injured Luke Wright, and Luke Wells in an excellent new ball spell of 2-14 from five overs. Finn later returned to bowl Danny Briggs (2).

Salt played on in the fourth over for five and Wells (13) was held at point in his next over before Finn’s replacement Patel struck in successive overs. Harry Finch (16) was superbly caught at full stretch on the long-off boundary by substitute James Harris and Ben Brown (24) bowled playing to leg. 

It was a profitable day for Patel. He had Michael Burgess (37 off 24 balls) and Robinson (17), from the last ball of his spell, both caught at deep mid-wicket while leg-spinner Sowter skidded one through Laurie Evans’ (34) defences after Evans had added 51 for the sixth wicket with Wiese, as Middlesex maintained their knack of taking wickets when they needed them.

Sussex’s race was run when Wiese was ninth out for 57 off 51 balls, bowled by another delivery from Sowter, who finished with 3-43, that skidded on.

Speaking at the close, Sussex Sharks head coach, Jason Gillespie said: “"We were outplayed, it's as simple as that. At one stage with wickets in hand Middlesex looked as if they might get around 350 but I thought we were brilliant in the second half of their innings and to restrict them to just 60 off the last ten overs was a real statement of intent.

“Batting-wise it was disappointing. A lot of the guys got going but no one was able to go on and make a really significant score that would have given us a chance. 

“The pitch surprised us a bit in terms of how low and slow it was, but we still felt we were well in the game chasing 289 but we didn't perform as well as Middlesex.”