Half-centuries from Clark and Karvelas secure draw for Sussex at Lord's

Debutant Sussex tailender Ari Karvelas thwarted Middlesex’s hopes of victory with a defiant career-best half-century to secure a draw at Lord’s despite Tom Helm’s best efforts with the ball.

Karvelas, a Johannesburg-born Greece international, batted for over two hours to blunt the Middlesex attack after Helm’s morning burst – which earned him record match figures of nine for 146 – had raised the prospects of a final-session run chase.

Helm picked up three wickets in 14 balls to reduce Sussex to 96 for seven, an overall lead of just 134, but a stubborn partnership of 45 between Karvelas and Archie Lenham steered the visitors towards safety.

The 28-year-old was eventually dismissed after top-scoring with 57, but by then his efforts had saved the game and the captains agreed on a draw with Sussex on 181 for nine in their second innings.

Tom Clark batted well making 56, hitting successive fours off Roland-Jones and also depositing Helm over the short boundary for a maximum as Sussex progressed to 53 for one.

But Helm, following up a tight spell by Tim Murtagh at the Nursery End, looked to have changed the outcome of the game by taking a trio of rapid wickets – including the prize scalp of Cheteshwar Pujara.

When Clark played on to Umesh Yadav on the stroke of lunch, Sussex had slid to 69 for five and were looking vulnerable – even more so after Helm claimed his fourth wicket, with Delray Rawlins taken low at first slip.

Sussex’s advantage still looked fragile when Murtagh bowled Dan Ibrahim, but Karvelas swiftly increased it by heaving a series of short-pitched deliveries from the Middlesex captain away to the short boundary.

Murtagh rotated his seamers without success as Sussex’s eighth-wicket pair repaired the damage, using up 16.2 precious overs before Roland-Jones finally made the breakthrough, dismissing Lenham for 19.

However, former Middlesex man Steven Finn joined Karvelas to snuff out any thoughts of a positive result, finishing 10 not out after his partner was finally dismissed.