David Wiese & Mir Hamza top performers for Sussex on fairly even day

David Wiese hit a counterattacking half-century, before overseas debutant Mir Hamza excited with a spell of skillful swing bowling that brought him three wickets as bowlers dominated on the opening day of Sussex's Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at The 1st Central County Ground.

Photo: Simon Dack

Leicestershire seamer Tom Taylor took career-best figures of 6 for 47 as bowlers dominated on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex at Hove.

Taylor took three wickets in six balls to help reduce Sussex to 38 for 5 after an uncontested toss, before David Wiese counter-attacked with 51 to which took Sussex to 173.

🎥 REPLAY: Ten boundaries in @David_Wiese's 50 today, some glorious shots among them #gosbts pic.twitter.com/sfBVez7Fns

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 5, 2019

Hamza then picked up three wickets as Leicestershire slumped to 59 for 5 before Lewis Hill (40 not out) and Harry Dearden (26 not out) fought back to take their side for 131 for 5 when bad light ended play 11 overs early.

Chris Wright - making his debut for Leicestershire after joining from Warwickshire over the winter - gave the visitors the perfect start when he had Phil Salt caught behind off his fourth delivery before Taylor took centre stage.

He went around the wicket to the left-hander Luke Wells who edged to third slip for a duck before grabbing three wickets in six balls, dismissing Tom Haines off a leading edge, Harry Finch caught behind and Sussex skipper Ben Brown, who was bowled off an inside edge.

South Africans David Wiese and Stiaan van Zyl counter-attacked in a stand of 64 before van Zyl was bowled via a bottom edge by Wright for 28.

Wiese's innings was full of crunching cover drives, a shot that accounted for a number of the ten boundaries in his 66-ball innings. 

He was bowled by Taylor for 51 four overs into the afternoon session, however, and the 24-year-old Derbyshire academy product  had the second six-wicket haul of his first-class career when Ollie Robinson lost his middle stump for 23.

Danny Briggs was the last man out when he was caught and bowled by Gavin Griffiths for what could prove a very useful 20.

🤩 I̵a̵n̵ ̵B̵e̵l̵l̵ @DannyBriggs19 brings up his first boundary

📺 Watch live for free: https://t.co/DNVJoTNVHq #gosbts pic.twitter.com/nCvdI5ZyUh

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 5, 2019

The last five wickets had added 137 runs and the value of those lower-order contributions became evident when Leicestershire’s top order found the going just as tough.

Hamza arrived from Pakistan with an outstanding first-class record of 282 wickets at an average of 19 and he was soon showing his skills, moving the ball late off the seam and through the air.

🎥 REPLAY: Enjoy this one with your cake 🍰

A second for @mirhamza_k and doesn't he just love it! #gosbts pic.twitter.com/n3CL3JAlKF

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) April 5, 2019

He took his first wicket when Ateeq Javid (7) offered a leading edge which the bowler dived to his right to intercept in his follow-through. Hamza then struck twice either side of tea as Mark Cosgrove (11) was lbw and skipper Paul Horton (26) caught behind.

At the other end last season’s leading wicket-taker Ollie Robinson was soon back among the wickets. He had Hasan Azad (6) and Colin Ackermann (0) caught in the slip cordon as Leicestershire wobbled.

But after a watchful start Dearden and Hill flourished, putting on an unbeaten 72 for the sixth wicket in 19 overs. The first hour tomorrow will go along way to deciding who emerges victorious in this match. 

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