Sharks fall short at Gloucestershire

Another brilliant knock by Mohammad Rizwan wasn’t enough to prevent defeat for Sussex at Gloucestershire.

Steve Finn was outstanding with the ball for Sharks, returning figures of 2-15 from four overs, but Ryan Higgins made 39 not out from 22 balls and Glenn Phillips contributed a useful 27 as Gloucestershire found acceleration following a sluggish start to their innings.

The home side set Sussex a target of 194 and it was Mohammad Rizwan once again who gave the Sharks a chance of chasing down the victory.

Rizwan top-scored with 58, while Luke Wright and Josh Philippe contributed 25 and 35 respectively as Sussex remained in the hunt.

Wright and Rizwan afforded the Sussex reply solid foundations in an opening stand of 52 in 5.5 overs as the visitors looked to atone for the seven-wicket defeat by Glamorgan in Hove just 24 hours earlier.

Gloucestershire's bowlers held their nerve and David Payne effected a breakthrough when bowling Wright for 25 shortly before the end of the powerplay. 

Thereafter, Rizwan found a willing ally in Philippe, the second wicket pair finding the gaps and running hard to advance the score to 88-1 at the halfway point. If Rizwan was prepared to force the issue, Western Australian Philippe proved a perfect foil, working the ball both sides of the wicket and demonstrating a variety of shots to keep the scoreboard moving.

Fresh from posting 81 not out against Glamorgan and in fine fettle, Rizwan moved effortlessly to 50 from 34 balls as the second wicket pairing went from strength to strength, Gloucestershire deploying seven different bowlers in a fruitless attempt to prize them apart.

Yet Gloucestershire were still able to exert pressure, tight overs in the middle of the innings from Naseem Shah and Howell precluding the departure of Rizwan, caught at the wicket in the act of cutting van Meekeren.

Although Sharks' overseas stars had added 76 in 9.2 overs, they still required a further 66 from 4.9 overs, and the odds probably favoured Gloucestershire for the first time when Philippe hit Payne to Higgins on the deep square leg boundary and fell for 35 in the 17th over.

With two new batsmen at the crease, Sussex's task was now a stiff one, and Gloucestershire's bowlers turned the screw to give the home side their first win of the T20 Vitality Blast.