T20 Blast: Tom Alsop steers Sussex Sharks to thrilling win against Surrey

Tom Alsop's fifth career T20 fifty took Sussex to a first win of the season

Sussex Sharks ended Surrey's unbeaten start to the T20 Blast campaign with a thrilling five-wicket win at the Oval.

Ravi Bopara (3-18) and Tymal Mills (2-23) led a superb Sussex display in the field to bowl out the hosts for 148, three balls shy of their allocation.

Sharks also struggled on a used pitch as Sunil Narine (2-18) reduced the visitors to 56-4 after 10 overs.

But a 77-run stand from Tom Alsop (51 not out) and Michael Burgess (48) took Sussex home with a ball to spare.

Needing 10 off the last over, Alsop brought up his fifty from 41 balls off Tom Lawes' fourth delivery to tie the scores, before taking the winning single off the penultimate ball to earn Sharks' first Blast win of the season.

Surrey rested Sean Abbott, two days after the Australian equalled the fastest T20 Blast century, but raced to 30-0 after three overs.

Their progress slowed after losing destructive openers Laurie Evans (23) and Will Jacks (13) in the space of five balls, and Sam Curran fell to James Coles' stunning left-handed diving catch at point.

Surrey remained in a good position at 102-3 in the 12th over when Bopara (3-18) came on and removed Narine (29), Tom Curran (23) and Jamie Smith (19) in successive overs to leave Surrey 126-6.

Mills then bowled Jamie Overton to spark a collapse as the hosts lost their final four wickets for two runs in nine balls.

Ali Orr (24) helped Sharks race to 27-0 after three overs, but when after he fell to a fine Evans catch at gully and Narine snared Bopara, the visitors limped to 56-3 at halfway.

The innings stalled, but with Sussex needing 71 from the final six overs, Burgess and Alsop finally cut loose, taking them within 16 runs of victory.

Burgess fell for 48, clubbed off just 28 balls, with 16 needed from 13 balls, but Alsop kept his cool to take the visitors across the line.