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Match Report

Four wickets for David Wiese as Championship season finally gets underway

14 Apr 2018

David Wiese bagged four-wickets for the third time in Championship cricket as Sussex's 2018 campaign finally got underway against Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Saturday. 

Having been reduced to 147-6 and then 222-9, a stubborn tenth-wicket partnership between former Sussex 'keeper, Tim Ambrose (76*) and Chris Wright (17*) allowed the home side to reach the close on 284-9.

When the match finally started after the loss of the first four sessions to the weather, Ben Brown exercised his right to field and allowed his bowlers to get stuck in. 

On his Championship debut, Sussex's Indian overseas signing Ishant Sharma took just 18 balls to open his account when Will Rhodes, making his Warwickshire Championship debut, edged to Phil Salt in the slips.

Five balls later, Dom Sibley tickled a rising ball from Ollie Robinson to Brown behind the stumps and Warwickshire were 20-2. 

Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott added 60 in 17 overs before the latter edged an excellent delivery from Wiese to Robinson at first slip.

Sharma then trapped Adam Hose leg before with a late inswinger, before Sam Hain was also trapped in front playing no shot to Wiese.

Bell, fresh from a century against Durham MCCU, was in fine touch, however, advancing to 50 from 66 balls with ten fours.

On 56 at tea, he resumed with three gorgeous off-side boundaries in quick succession to pass his career-average against Sussex (62.76). It was a surprise to all when his next attempt to pierce the offside field sent a catch to Stiaan van Zyl at backward point and gave Wiese his third scalp of the day. 

Ambrose and Keith Barker dug in to add 52 in 16 overs before Stuart Whittingham induced edges from Barker and Patel in quick succession.

Wiese returned to remove Olly Stone courtesy of a brilliant catch at second slip by Harry Finch - a diving, one-handed effort low-down to his right - to give the South African his second four-wicket hall in three Championship innings.

That was 220 for nine but Sussex were frustrated by last pair Ambrose and Chris Wright who added an unbroken 62 in 19 overs as the shadows lengthened in glorious evening sunshine.

Speaking at the close, Wiese said: "It was nice for me to get back out there again and in red-ball cricket too as I've played a lot of white-ball lately. It was good to get some wickets. It was coming out decently to start with though it turned out to be a bit of a long day in the end.

"It's a good cricket wicket. There is something in it for the bowlers with a bit of nibble if you put it in the right place, but it's a good pitch and the batsmen will get value for their shots when the outfield dries out. The outfield probably cost Warwickshire 20 or 30 runs today."

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