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Sussex 94 for 5 (Pattinson 3-27) trail Nottinghamshire 240 (Mullaney 70, Slater 55, Robinson 4-44) by 146 runsEngland fast bowler Ollie Robinson took four wickets on his return to competitive action as Sussex bowled out Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire for 240. In reply, however, they sunk to 49 for five before closing on 94 for five on an eventful opening day of their latest LV= Insurance County Championship match.Robinson, whose problems in recent months have included a bout of Covid, a tooth infection and food poisoning in addition to a persistent back injury, dismissed the first four names on the Nottinghamshire scorecard to finish with four for 44 from 16 overs in his first appearance since May.He produced two particularly high-quality deliveries to bowl openers Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater, albeit 89 runs apart, the latter making 55 as one of two Nottinghamshire players to post half-centuries in an otherwise largely miserable-looking scorecard in which skipper Steven Mullaney’s 70 was vital in giving the innings some substance.James Pattinson added a useful 39 batting at nine before taking three wickets in his principal role as spearhead of the Nottinghamshire attack. Much responsibility will rest with Cheteshwar Pujara, captaining the side here, to build on his 34 not out if Sussex are to claim any advantage tomorrow, although the Indian Test star needed checking over late in the day after being struck on the helmet by a ball from Dane Paterson.”I had an injection and it took about 10 days to feel fully settled. I started my rehab slowly with a bit of gym work but two and a half weeks in I started bowling and could tell straight away it felt better,” Robinson said.”I would have liked to have bowled in a Second XI game but the fixtures just didn’t allow that, but last week I bowled 30 overs, the week before 24 and the week before that 18. So I was able to come into this match feeling I could give 100 percent. I felt a bit rusty as I suppose after a few months it is going to be, but the ball came out OK.”I’ve had a few conversations with the England coaches and said that I wanted to bowl as many overs as were needed by the team, with no restrictions, and they have allowed me to play this game to 100 percent. I’m hoping to play in a Lions game early next month after which the South Africa series comes up pretty quickly, so I’m hoping that with a couple of good games I can be back in the mix.”After Sussex won the toss and made the home side bat first on a wicket with a good covering of grass, Robinson quickly put Nottinghamshire on the back foot, dismissing Hameed with his 12th delivery.Hameed fell four short of a maiden 200 against Derbyshire last week but went for just five this time, offering no shot to a ball that came back a long way to clip his off stump.Slater put early runs on the board as a fast outfield added value to any attacking shot, particularly with a short boundary on the Bridgford Road side.But he lost partners in Robinson’s fourth and fifth overs as Ben Duckett clipped one straight to backward square leg and Joe Clarke nibbled outside off stump to be caught behind at 41 for 3.Nottinghamshire went to lunch at 87 for 4 after Lyndon James was caught at second slip off seamer Ari Karvelas for 7, having been dropped by the same fielder on the same score in the previous Karvelas over.Back after lunch, Robinson struck another blow by removing Slater for 55 with the ball of the day, pitching on middle and hitting the top of off.Tom Moores flailed at a wide loosener from 20-year-old left-armer Sean Hunt to be caught behind and Liam Patterson-White nicked a loose drive to second slip off Karvelas as Nottinghamshire slipped to 152 for 7.Mullaney was dropped at second slip on 26 and by the keeper on 53 but made the most of his opportunities otherwise, hitting eight fours and two sixes, helping Pattinson add 65 for the eighth wicket.After Pattinson nicked one behind, the last two wickets fell quickly as left-armer Brad Currie, who took 6 for 93 on his debut at Lord’s last week, picked up the final three, including Mullaney who was perhaps unlucky to be given leg before to the left-armer coming round the wicket, before Paterson was caught behind off an inside edge.Nottinghamshire missed out on a second batting bonus point but in the context of the match their 240 began to look a decent effort as Sussex stumbled to 49 for 5.Pattinson pinned Tom Clark leg-before, Paterson produced a beauty to beat Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s defensive push on his return from a stress fracture and then Pattinson took two in five balls, ending Ali Orr’s good start with a ball to match Paterson’s and squaring up Oli Carter for another lbw.Paterson then drew an edge to second slip from James Coles to leave Sussex with half their wickets gone and still 191 behind, but Pujara and Archie Lenham survived the last 18 overs to cut that deficit to 146.

Durham 246 (Lees 99, Tongue 5-39) and 389 for 5 dec (Young 103, Burnham 102*) beat Worcestershire 213 (Fell 44, Leach 42*, Rushworth 5-56) and 164 (Mitchell 62, Rushworth 4-52) by 258 runs Chris Rushworth orchestrated a brilliant 258-run win for Durham in their LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Worcestershire, on the day he became the county’s all-time leading first-class wicket taker.Rushworth claimed his 528th first-class wicket for the club by removing Jack Haynes, breaking his tie with Graham Onions that he matched in the first innings. The 34-year-old notched figures of 4 for 52, while Mark Wood and Brydon Carse were equally impressive with three and two wickets apiece, to dismiss the visitors for 164.The emphatic victory moves Durham into second place in Group One in the County Championship, three points behind Essex. Worcestershire lost their first game of the season, but they remain in fourth place despite their crushing defeat.Rain prevented play in the first hour of the day, but Daryl Mitchell quickly found his rhythm to pass fifty for the third time this season. Rushworth almost secured his record-breaking scalp when Jake Libby clipped a stroke towards mid-wicket. Jack Burnham attempted to corral the ball, but he could not hang on with a diving effort.Related

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Wood turned to short-pitch bowling to make the breakthrough, hitting the glove of Mitchell, which forced the opener to require treatment. The following delivery Wood went short again, and this time Mitchell fended straight to short leg.Carse made an immediate impact with his first delivery of the day, pinning Tom Fell lbw for 1. It could have been better for Durham in the first hour, but David Bedingham dropped a routine catch at first slip after Ben Raine found Libby’s outside edge.However, Bedingham atoned for his error to hand Rushworth his record-breaking scalp, collecting a low edge from Haynes to take the seamer clear of Onions. The wicket prompted emotional scenes among his team-mates and a salute to his dad in the Emirates Riverside car park.”I could not be any prouder, especially with my dad in the car park as well,” Rushworth said afterwards. “I was very emotional, I don’t think I’ve ever been as emotional as that on a cricket pitch. I’ve played in Lord’s finals and a Championship win, but that tops the lot.”It has been on my mind and you could probably tell with the spells on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Other milestones have not entered my mind before, but because this one was so big and it has been close for a while, it was getting to me. To get it done, I can get back to bowling without worrying and winning more games for Durham.”Despite the catch to break the record, Durham’s problems in the slips continued as Scott Borthwick put down Brett D’Oliveira off Wood, but the England man returned to prise out the batsman in his next over.Durham smelled blood in the water, and Rushworth jagged a delivery back into Riki Wessels to pin him lbw. Wood performed the same feat to end Libby’s stubborn resistance for 36. Ed Barnard continued the procession and was powerless as he feathered an edge behind from a fine Carse delivery, leaving the visitors seven down.After the tea break, Rushworth allowed the home side to close in on their second win of the campaign. He was on the mark to dismiss Joe Leach and Ben Cox lbw, displaying pinpoint accuracy. Borthwick claimed the final wicket to wrap a hugely impressive win for his side to put forward their credentials for the County Championship.”We were outplayed by a better team this week,” Worcestershire coach Alex Gidman said. “They played a lot better than us in their home conditions and we have to take it on the chin.”We were going to lose a game at some stage and this week Durham were a better team than us. We didn’t play good enough cricket over the four days. Their bowling attack is as good as we’ve seen this season. The lads are disappointed that we didn’t perform well enough in this game, but we’ll support them to the hilt.”

Cricket South Africa have missed their own deadline to make an announcement on the director of cricket position, effectively the most important role in the organisation.On Thursday, CEO Thabang Moroe told SAFM Radio that CSA would “make communication,” about it on Friday, even if it was to reveal that they would not be appointing anyone imminently. Moroe indicated CSA may widen its search to find the right candidate and if that was the case, Enoch Nkwe would remain in the team director position for the upcoming England tour, which begins in five weeks.When asked about the delay by ESPNcricinfo, CSA said they “will make an announcement when we have concluded all areas that require mutual engagement with the appointee, once we get to this point.”The director of cricket post was created in the aftermath of the 2019 World Cup and was filled in an interim capacity by CSA’s general manager Corrie van Zyl since August. Fresh interviews were conducted two weeks ago and at least three candidates including van Zyl, former captain Graeme Smith and former national selector and seasoned administrator Hussein Manack presented to a five-person panel.But Smith has since withdrawn from the race while van Zyl remains suspended for alleged dereliction of duty regarding the payment for players’ commercial rights during the last season’s Mzansi Super League. However, that does not necessarily make Manack the favourite and CSA is understood to be considering delaying the appointment to later next year and broadening their search.”We will make communication tomorrow about the director of cricket role. There has been a lot of talk about it and we ask the public to wait for the announcement. Even if we don’t announce a name tomorrow, we will communicate that. This person must be an allrounder on and off the field, must have administrative qualities too because there is a lot that needs to be done. We could even look internationally,” CSA CEO Thabang Moroe told SAFM radio.If CSA is unable to confirm an appointee, Enoch Nkwe will continue in his role as the interim national team director for the upcoming England tour that begins in five weeks’ time. Nkwe, the former Gauteng batsman and title-winning Highveld Lions and Jozi Stars head coach, took the national team to India where they drew the T20I series 1-1 but were whitewashed in the three-match Test series.If Nkwe is kept on, Moroe indicated the support staff would be beefed up for the England series. “Should we not be in a position to appoint the director of cricket tomorrow, then Enoch Nkwe will continue as coach of the Proteas when England comes here, but we will need to give him the necessary support,” Moroe said.If a director of cricket is appointed, it will be his or her prerogative to choose the next team director, which would leave Nkwe’s future uncertain.The announcement, whatever form it takes, will end some of the uncertainty that has dogged South African cricket in the last few months. Calls have come from several quarters including captain Faf du Plessis for the permanent appointments to allow the team to begin preparations for the immediate challenges of England, medium-term projects such as preparations for the next year’s T20 World Cup and the long-term succession plan for when du Plessis retires.

Alex Hales has said he wants to put the “mistakes of the past” behind him, and issued an apology to his Nottinghamshire team-mates following his 21-day ban for recreational drug use.Hales was deselected from England’s World Cup squad as a result of the ban, with captain Eoin Morgan citing a “complete breakdown of trust” for his omission from the final 15-man squad.But speaking as part of Nottinghamshire’s video preview for their upcoming T20 campaign, Hales revealed that he had apologised to his county team-mates and admitted that he had let them down.”As soon as I walked back into the changing room, around the guys, I couldn’t have asked for more,” he said. “Everyone has been unbelievable. I just wanted to apologise to them, for everything that happened.”I got the point across that I had not just let myself down, I’d let down family, friends, team-mates – so I had to get that off my chest, I had to tell the guys how I was feeling.”I wanted to let them know I was 100 percent focused on the cricket now, [that] I wanted to move forward and put those mistakes of the past behind me.”Nottinghamshire have stuck by Hales publicly throughout the incident.After the news broke, the club issued a statement which said it was “in the best interests of all concerned for him to get back to playing cricket for Nottinghamshire as quickly as possible”, despite his actions falling “way short of the behaviours the club expects from any of its staff”.At the Caribbean Premier League draft in May, Hales twice declined to comment when asked about his deselection, and his only public comment had been via a statement from his management company which said that he was “devastated”.But Hales did admit he had his sights set on an England recall in time for the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020, and has retained his central contract which runs until the end of the summer.”It’s how it has to be, to be honest,” he said. “I can’t change what’s happened – all I can affect is what’s going to happen. I’m just trying to look at it in as much of a positive way as I can, just have to crack on and try to make the most of hopefully a few more years in my career.”They [Notts] asked me if I was ready to play, and I just couldn’t wait to get back out there to be honest, that’s all I want to do, is play cricket.”Hales was picked for Nottinghamshire’s final group game and their semi-final defeat in the Royal London Cup, scoring 36 and 54, and will open the batting in their Vitality Blast campaign which starts next Thursday.Nottinghamshire’s progress in that competition – and they are favourites with the bookies to regain the crown they won in 2017 – will determine Hales’ participation in the CPL, where Barbados Tridents chose him with the first pick of the draft.Following that, he has expressed interest in playing in the Big Bash, and has a year to run on his contract with Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League, though will hope to be involved in some of England’s white-ball internationals this winter (3 ODIs and 3 T20Is in South Africa, and 5 T20Is in New Zealand).

When addressing Dwayne Bravo from here on out, you must do so as “Mr. Champion”, after the West Indies allrounder led his Maratha Arabians franchise to the Abu Dhabi T10 title on Sunday night. Asked why the Arabians were able to succeed where other franchises fail and back up their early pace setting by sealing victory in the final, Bravo said it was “because most teams don’t have the champion”.Bravo, who recently hinted at an international comeback, took Maratha to their first T10 trophy courtesy of a comfortable eight-wicket win over Deccan Gladiators that was just reward for the team that has dominated since losing the opening match of the tournament to reigning champions Northern Warriors 10 days ago.This was their sixth win from their seven subsequent matches, with the rain the only thing to get the better of them in that time. And in leading the only franchise to survive all three editions of the tournament, Bravo said it was time to put a formal title to his “Champion” moniker.”Officially my name changed from ‘Master Champion’ to ‘Mr Champion’, so now you have to address me as ‘Mr Champion’, okay?” Bravo said before hailing the experience of his squad for maintaining their form throughout.ALSO READ: ‘My will to win is very strong’ – Pollard“When all of us put our thinking caps on and we come together to come up with a game plan, we stick with it. I’m the captain, yes, but it’s not all my way, all my decisions. I have experienced guys who have a lot of knowledge and I lean on these guys for information and advice.”I think that’s the main reason we were so successful throughout this tournament. We lose the first game but it was a way of us learning how to play this game. It’s a pattern and I think we are the only team in the tournament to play with that pattern.”One of those players Bravo has been able to rely on has been Chris Lynn and “Lynnsanity” has firmly taken hold of the Abu Dhabi T10 with the Australian in inspired form en route to taking Player of the Tournament honours. Lynn, who topped the league’s run-scoring charts with 371 runs from eight innings and finished with the most runs in a single T10 season, was the driving force behind Maratha’s dominance.His stunning sequence included four knocks over 50, including the two highest scores in the league’s history. Both of those – 91 not out against Team Abu Dhabi and 89 versus Delhi Bulls – were greater than Maratha’s 88-run target in the final and while Chadwick Walton’s superb 51 not out stole the show, Lynn has been the form player this year.”Most credit I must give to [Lynn] for the way he played and he showed he is still one of the best white-ball batsmen in the world,” Bravo said. “The way he dominated single-handedly throughout the tournament, he put a lot of fear in the opposition and he took the leadership role as the senior batsman in our team and he led from the front.”Lynn, who put this form up there with his 2016-17 Big Bash League performances that also secured Player of the Tournament honours, added: “I think the biggest thing for us was our communication. Right from day one [Maratha Arabians coach] Andy Flower and Dwayne set the standard that communication would be key, especially in a tournament that’s so short, with players we haven’t played with, we gelled really nicely and we executed to a tee out in the middle.”By virtue of topping Group A and Group B respectively, it was the first time Deccan and Maratha had met. Having been put into bat first, Mohammad Shahzad got Deccan immediately up and running with four from Mitchell McCleneghan’s first ball – the fourth time Shahzad has hit the opening ball for a boundary in nine innings, a run that includes three sixes – but captain Shane Watson was back in the hutch just four balls later.It started Deccan’s slide to just 87 for 7 from their 10 overs, the third-lowest total and fewest runs of any team batting first this year. It was a disappointing end to the tournament for Watson but his solitary run did take the 38-year-old’s tally to 237, a record only bettered by the frankly ridiculous return of countryman Lynn.While Watson missed out with the bat in the final, he had an otherwise fine tournament, hitting two unbeaten half-centuries and a highest score of 75 not out. It shows he is more than keeping up with cricket’s most frantic format and while the fire still burns, Watson the player has no plans to hang up his boots just yet.”I just absolutely still love playing,” Watson told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of the final. “I love playing [T10] because it’s a great skill-development format for my Twenty20 batting. I love being able to continue to refine what I’m doing technically [and] mentally, with being around these amazing team environments, meeting new people.”I’m not sure how long I’m going to continue to play for but while I’m still loving it and feel I still can play at my best, I don’t know how long it’ll last for.”

West Indies Women are set to tour Pakistan for three ODIs in November ahead of the ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.The matches will be held from November 8 to 14 with all games scheduled to take place at the National Stadium in Karachi. West Indies will then fly directly to Zimbabwe, with the Qualifiers to begin on November 21.Earlier this year, Pakistan Women had toured West Indies for three T20Is and five ODIs, and Johnny Grave, Cricket West Indies’ CEO, said West Indies’ visit to Pakistan this time would serve as ideal preparation “in different conditions” ahead of the Qualifiers.

West Indies Women in Pakistan, 2021

• First ODI: November 8

• Second ODI: November 11

• Third ODI: November 14

“This reciprocal tour to Pakistan is an important part of our preparation plans ahead of the World Cup qualifying tournament that is scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe in mid-November,” Graves said. “This tour to Pakistan will give the team the chance to play in different conditions compared to the Caribbean and have more high level competitive cricket ahead of aiming to secure one of the three qualifying spots available for the Women’s Cricket World Cup next year.”The West Indies players are currently in Antigua for a high-performance training camp as part of their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers, where they will be one of ten teams to compete for three spots in the tournament proper, to be held in New Zealand next year.Related

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Meanwhile, Grave sounded confident of the security measures to be provided by Pakistan for the West Indies side, after the New Zealand and England’s men’s teams and England Women, recently pulled out of their Pakistan tours.””The security plan arranged by the PCB is the same high level that the West Indies men’s and women’s teams received when they last toured Pakistan in 2018 and 2019, respectively,” Grave said. “Independent security advisors, Eastern Star International (ESI) have confirmed to both CWI and WIPA [West Indies Players’ Association] that they are satisfied that the risk is manageable and can be mitigated to an acceptable level of safety. We will now take a final recommendation to our Board of Directors before the Selection Panel confirms the squad.”

Former Australia allrounder James Faulkner feels disrespected and shattered following a contract saga that has led to his departure from Hobart Hurricanes.Faulkner, 31, will not play for Hurricanes this year, and appears very unlikely to play in the BBL altogether, after turning down a one-year contract offer that he claims was “pretty embarrassing”.Faulkner made the comments on , in an interview with close friend and Australia Test captain Tim Paine who was co-hosting the show.”I found it pretty hard to take when I first heard it on the phone,” Faulkner said. “I found it pretty disrespectful for what I’ve sort of given to Tasmanian cricket. I’ve put my heart and soul into it and to hear their initial offer, and that is what it all comes down to, it cut pretty deep.”I know what I’m worth. I’ve signed enough contracts around the world for different teams. I didn’t want more. I just wanted what was fair and what I thought I was worth and even maybe a little bit less. But it just comes back to that first offer. I didn’t feel respected as a player or a person or a Tasmanian athlete. I’m just shattered how it has all played out.”Faulkner, who last played international cricket for Australia in 2017, joined Hurricanes in his home state of Tasmania ahead of the 2018-19 BBL season after seven years at Melbourne Stars on a three-year deal that finished at the end of last season.Related

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He has been plagued by a series of injuries since his international career ended and played just 12 of 29 matches in the last two BBL seasons. Last season he suffered a serious hamstring injury which ended his tournament in December. Faulkner said it was unfair for his injuries to be used against him in the negotiations.”They just used injury the whole time against me, really,” he said. “Last season I had an eight-week hamstring I did at the Gabba and tried to come back in three-and-a-half weeks and put my body on the line to come back so we had a shot at making finals and we weren’t really in the mix at that stage, which I’m happy to do and I’ll always do that. But for the coach to use that against me, I felt was wrong.”He also took aim at head coach Adam Griffith following comments he made at a press conference last week.”When you watch the news, and you see who I thought was one of my mates, as well as the head coach, say the bowling group and the team have performed well without me, first of all, and then secondly saying, we need to move on and that he didn’t really care – that cuts deep,” Faulkner said. “That’s like sticking a knife straight in my back. That’s not called for.Faulkner also claimed the lengthy BBL embargo period on contract signings had left him in limbo.”I’ve had teams make contact but the issue we have is the fact there was an embargo period with Cricket Australia and obviously you can’t speak throughout that,” Faulkner said.”And obviously because the contract negotiation went on for so long teams obviously want to sign their list. So I was sort of left stranded six months down the line. Other lists were full and that’s the big thing that hurts.”I wouldn’t have wanted to play for any other franchise anyway. The whole reason I came to the Hurricanes was to finish here and play in front of my family and friends and play with some of my best teammates that I have great memories with and for that not to happen it’s bloody disappointing.”However, teams, players, and agents are allowed to talk informally during the embargo period and often do. The embargo only applies to binding agreements meaning no contracts can be formally signed.Faulkner will now ply his trade in various leagues around the world. He performed well in this year’s PSL for Lahore Qalandars taking 13 wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 6.50. He will also look to play in the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Lanka Premier League.

Kurtis Patterson hopes having the New South Wales captaincy to focus on will help free up his batting as he searches for a return to the form that earned him two Test caps three seasons ago.Since playing for Australia, and scoring a maiden century in his second outing against Sri Lanka, Patterson has endured a frustrating couple of seasons: first through injury which disrupted his 2019-2020 campaign followed by a struggle for runs last year as he averaged just 21.29 in the Sheffield Shield.He admitted considering whether it was the right time take over the Sheffield Shield captaincy from Peter Nevill amid looking for a batting revival. Having had a taste of the role at the end of last season, though, he believes having other areas of responsibility will be an advantage.”I guess being able to do it last year doing for the one-day final and the last couple of Shield games was good for me to see how I reacted and how I thought with it,” he said. “To be honest with you, half of my battle with my batting is getting myself out of my own head, so the captaincy does that naturally because you can’t just think about yourself, you have to think about the rest of the team.Related

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“I certainly felt that when I was batting last year as captain that it allowed me to kind of see the bigger picture. But it certainly was something that I thought about because at the end of the day, even now that I am captain, first and foremost I’m a batter, certainly when we are batting it’s no longer Kurtis the captain I have to perform as a batter.”It’s something that I probably won’t really know the answer to until we’re in the depths of the season, but last year I felt really comfortable, it didn’t feel like it hindered my batting at all. It felt if anything like it helped. So looking forward to hopefully seeing that come through again this year.”Although Patterson’s only substantial score last season was the 102 he made against South Australia, he felt he had found something close to his best rhythm during the Sheffield Shield final against Queensland, where he scored 43 in the first innings against a strong attack in demanding conditions.That had coincided with him delving back into footage of the run of scores he had in the 2018-19 summer, which included twin centuries for a Cricket Australia XI in Hobart and the Test century in Canberra, as well as a conversation with New South Wales batting coach Chandika Hathurusingha.”I feel like I’d got to a place that I was satisfied with before the Shield final and it wasn’t until before the final that I’d looked back on my lead up, my Test series I played, and the Australia A game,” Patterson said. “I watched some footage and just tried to focus on one or two of the basic things that I did well. Really they were just being still at point of release and looking to get forward.”I had a really good chat with Chandika, just spoke about simplifying things as much as we can. I only scored 40-odd in that Shield final but in terms of just the way I felt, it felt like I was back to my normal self, which was nice in a way but also a bit disappointing that it took me the whole season to work that out.”I think that was just I was just lacking confidence last year coming off coming off the injury the year before, there was probably an extra layer of thought in my head that probably didn’t need to be there. It was a challenging year for everyone. It’s been nice to take a step back and take learnings out of it.”

Nathan Sowter produced his best Vitality Blast figures of the season as Middlesex’s bowlers staged an impressive fightback to see off Sussex Sharks by 63 runs. The legspinner finished with 3 for 13, while teenage seamer Blake Cullen returned a career-best three for 21 to successfully defend a score of 166 for 7 at Lord’s.That total was concentrated around Stephen Eskinazi’s 59 from 35 balls, making him the tournament’s leading scorer, but Middlesex still looked light on runs. However, the Sharks – whose quarter-final hopes had already been dented by five washouts in their previous six games – could only manage 103 for 9 in reply.Sussex inserted their hosts after winning the toss, but they looked understandably rusty in the field as Eskinazi and Max Holden, promoted to opener, built a solid platform during the Powerplay.The pair shared a partnership of 85 from 54 balls, with Eskinazi placing his shots shrewdly as he passed 50 for the fourth time in as many Blast innings. Holden swatted Tymal Mills’ first two deliveries for four and six, advancing to 38 before he holed out off Archie Lenham and when Eskinazi perished in similar fashion, scooping Will Beer to deep extra cover, Middlesex lost their way.A tight over by Ravi Bopara – in which he dismissed the dangerous Daryl Mitchell with a slower ball – turned the tide, while Mills came back strongly from his earlier mauling to finish with 2 for 31.The Sharks conceded just 32 from their last six overs, along with collecting five wickets as Middlesex laboured to what looked a below-par total. However, they swiftly removed both Sussex openers, with Luke Wright spooning Tom Helm to the diving Steven Finn, while Phil Salt drilled Mujeeb Ur Rahman straight to midwicket.Mujeeb’s initial spell of three overs for 13 created pressure and Sowter compounded it by bowling Aaron Thomason with his first delivery – while Cullen’s second accounted for David Wiese, hooking into the hands of Holden at deep square leg.Sussex’s best chance appeared to rest with Travis Head, who announced himself with a trio of boundaries off Helm, but the Australian was next to depart for 23, dragging a bottom edge from Cullen on to his stumps.With Holden taking another running catch to dismiss Bopara off Sowter, the Sharks’ cause looked hopeless at 59 for 6 and so it proved, despite a promising knock of 22 by debutant Harrison Ward.

South East Stars 324 for 7 (Dunkley 104*) beat Sunrisers 189 (Farrant 5-33) by 135 runs
Sophia Dunkley earned the applause of Lisa Keightley as her century set up a crushing 135-run bonus point victory for South East Stars over Sunrisers.All-rounder Dunkley smashed an unbeaten 104 off 93 balls to send the Stars to a record highest Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy total of 324 for 7.Dunkley, who has played 15 international T20s, is hoping to make her ODI debut this summer with India and New Zealand touring and will have impressed an on-looking England head coach Keightley.England fast bowler Tash Farrant took 5 for 33 as Sunrisers were bowled out for 189, with 65 balls to spare at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford.Bryony Smith and Alice Davidson-Richards got the Stars off to a flier by putting on 107 in 18 overs, having been asked to bat first on a belting wicket in flawless conditions.Smith was the more aggressive, pulling a six in just the second over and another to bring up a 53-ball fifty – comfortably bettering her best score of 8 in last year’s truncated competition.Davidson-Richards joined her at the milestone in 63 balls before Kelly Castle entered the attack and halted the visitors’ progress.Related

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The Essex-born seamer had Smith well caught at square leg with her first delivery before picking up Davidson-Richards and Alice Capsey in consecutive deliveries soon after – eventually returning 3 for 40.Dunkley rebuilt, initially steadily, but with Aylish Cranstone began to find her tempo while playing strongly in front of the wicket.Cranstone, Kirstie White and Farrant fell in quick succession but Dunkley went past her 51-ball half-century for the seventh time in her last eight List A innings.Partnerships of 53 and 44 with the destructive Grace Gibbs and Rhianna Southby pushed the Stars over 300 before Dunkley firmly swept through mid-on to wave her bat on her third 50-over hundred – with Keightley clapping the impressive knock.Left-armer Farrant made sure the chase was never really on for Sunrisers as she had Cordelia Griffin and Amara Carr caught within the first nine overs.The Stars captain then picked up Lissy MacLeod and Fran Wilson in her sixth over before Sunrisers retaliated in the shape of a 73-run stand between Mady Villiers and Naomi Dattani. Gibbs broke the stand by castling Villiers before Dattani was bowled for 47.The required run-rate continued to grow exponentially to leave the chase to fizzle out, with Farrant and Smith taking the last two wickets.