T20 Blast: Middlesex stay winless with Sussex loss and Notts go top of North Group
- Published
Stephen Eskinazi's unbeaten 94 took Middlesex to the brink of a first win of the season before his side fell to a four-run defeat
Middlesex remain without a win in this year's T20 Blast after suffering a four-run defeat by Sussex, despite an excellent unbeaten 94 from skipper Stephen Eskinazi.
His innings took them to the brink of victory but a final delivery dot ball from Tymal Mills saw Middlesex suffer an eighth defeat in as many games.
Elsewhere, Notts went top of the North Group with a 28-run win over Durham.
Samit Patel and Jake Ball took three wickets each in the Outlaws victory.
At Lord's Sussex posted 181-8 with Shadab Khan starring with 59 from 30 balls. Tom Clark (39) Ravi Bopara (38) added important contributions.
Eskinazi was helped by Pieter Malan (36) in the reply but it was England paceman Mills' bowling at the death which clinched the win and ensured Middlesex's wait for a win continued.
Sussex reached 25 before Michael Burgess fell for five in the fifth over, with Martin Andersson then having Tom Alsop caught behind for three, thanks to a sharp catch by Jack Davies.
Clark fared better with 39 from 28 balls before being bowed by Ryan Higgins, which brought Shadab to the crease and the Pakistan international's partnership with Bopara added 91 to the total.
Shadab smashed a Higgins full toss for six in the 16th over, before attempting another maximum, only to be caught on the boundary by Andersson.
Dan Ibrahim lasted only a few balls before giving Joe Cracknell an easy catch and Nathan McAndrew was out lbw without scoring two balls later as Luke Hollman (2-30) took important wickets to slow down the run rate.
Bopara skewed a Tom Helm delivery to Andersson as the Sharks lost momentum but a late cameo from James Coles helped push the score over 180.
Sussex's Tymal Mills restricted Middlesex to seven in the final over to close out the win
Joe Cracknell fell early in the Middlesex reply but Eskinazi was in great touch from the beginning, hitting Henry Crocombe for three consecutive fours in the fifth over, and showing excellent timing to despatch Mills for 10 in two balls in the sixth.
Eskinazi reached his half-century from 31 balls and his partnership with Malan added 85 before the latter was bowled by Bopara.
But Bopara then dropped an easy catch as Shadab tied-up Max Holden, and he went on to score 18 before a top edge sent the ball into the hands of Clark.
With their run rate slowing, Davies then gave Middlesex a timely boost with 19 from 10 balls before being dismissed by a sensational boundary catch from Coles.
Mills' expertly bowled slower ball accounted for Hollman with the first ball of the final over to leave Middlesex needing 12 from five balls.
Two dot balls followed before Eskinazi got back on strike to hit a boundary followed by two, to leave his side needing five from the last ball but a swing and a miss meant Sussex narrowly claimed the win.
Bas de Leede's maiden T20 half-century was in vain as Durham lost to Notts
Notts moved to the top of a tight North Group with a convincing win over Durham.
Colin Munro fell one short of a half-century and Alex Hales hit 39, while Durham's Nathan Sowter (4-29) starred with the ball, as the Outlaws reached 187-7.
Durham lost early wickets before Ollie Robinson (27) and Bas de Leede's (58) maiden T20 half-century gave Durham hope, but the regular wickets of Patel (3-30) and Ball (3-38) ensured Notts won the game with room to spare.
Notts got off to the worst possible start, with Joe Clarke failing to add to his 258 runs this season before being bowled by Liam Trevaskis with the second ball of the evening.
Opening partner Hales was in better form, hitting five fours and a six before Sowter arrived to dismiss him and the reverse-sweeping Matthew Montgomery lbw for 12 as Notts reached 98-3 at the halfway stage.
Munro fell frustratingly for 49 before Tom Moores became Sowter's fourth victim, with Patel (28) and Steven Mullaney (21) adding useful middle order runs.
Wayne Parnell then dispatched Mullaney as he restricted Notts to 11 in the final over as they set Durham 188 to win.
Durham's run-chase made a stuttering start as they lost both openers inside the first three overs, with Ball taking a good catch off Patel's bowling to dismiss Alex Lees, before Graham Clark fell to Matt Carter.
Ball then took a wicket with his first ball to account for Michael Jones to leave Durham on 52-3 at the end of the powerplay.
Robinson and de Leede were moving along nicely before Patel bowled the former and then dismissed Ashton Turner two balls later to claim his third wicket.
That brought Parnell to the crease and he smashed Patel for six before getting out with the final ball of the 11th over as Carter claimed a second scalp and Durham lost a third wicket for only 11 runs.
De Leede reached 58 from 41 balls before falling to Shaheen Afridi, who conceded only four runs in the final over as Durham failed to get close to the total required.