da bwin： Opener Dawid Malan smashed an unbeaten 115 off 64 balls as Middlesex cruised to their second convincing NatWest T20 Blast victory in 24 hours after beating Sussex by 42 runs at Hove
da premier bet： ECB/PA29-May-2015
ScorecardDawid Malan plundered the Sussex bowling with 115 off 64 balls•Getty Images
Opener Dawid Malan smashed an unbeaten 115 off 64 balls as Middlesex cruised to their second convincing NatWest T20 Blast victory in 24 hours after beating Sussex by 42 runs at Hove.The left-hander, who only returned to action on Thursday in the 115-run win over Kent having recovered from a broken finger, underpinned a total of 221 for 2 with a chanceless century.It was Malan’s second hundred in the format and, with his opening partner Paul Stirling contributing a similarly explosive 88, Middlesex ran up their highest score in the competition.Facing an asking rate of more than 11 runs an over, Sussex were always up against it although a county-record fifth-wicket stand of 84 in 44 balls from skipper Luke Wright and Chris Jordan kept them in touch and entertained a crowd of 5,000.Insights
Middlesex’s won just two matches last season and their highest score last was 192 against Kent in Canterbury. After three matches this season they have already won twice and have recorded scores of 205 for 5 against Kent and a county record of 221 for 2 against Sussex on consecutive nights.
Although they struggled last season Middlesex have a team boasting considerable international pedigree with Paul Stirling, Eoin Morgan, James Franklin, Joe Burns, Kyle Abbott and Steven Finn and some raw T20 talent in Dawid Malan. If they can maintain this early season momentum they have the potential to be quite a force this season.
Freddie Wilde
However, South African fast bowler Kyle Abbott removed both with successive balls at the start of the 17th over and finished with career-best figures of 5 for 14 as Sussex closed on 179 for 9.Wright scored at a faster rate than both Malan and Stirling, making 91 off 47 balls with eight fours and five sixes, one of which left a female spectator in the crowd needing minor treatment after she was struck on the head.But Sussex still required an unlikely 65 from the last four overs and Abbott, who had dropped Wright on 40, effectively ended the contest when the former England all-rounder was caught at long on by Nick Compton before Jordan drove the next ball to extra cover.Abbott took four wickets in eight balls at the end as Sussex’s tail folded and Middlesex wrapped up a convincing victory.Earlier, Malan struck 14 fours and three sixes, one of which landed on the roof of a Ferrari in the car park, in a brutal assault as he and Stirling made full use of a perfect batting pitch and some inconsistent Sussex bowling.Stirling followed his 90 against Kent with a blistering 88 from 47 deliveries, including 10 fours and four sixes, in a punishing first-wicket stand of 187 from 101 balls. It was the fourth highest first-wicket partnership in T20 history and the second biggest in the domestic competition.Sussex were made to pay when Will Beer dropped Stirling on 33, a straightforward chance at point in Jordan’s first over.At the halfway stage Middlesex were 100 without loss before accelerating in the next five overs when they plundered 71 runs.Stirling missed out on a century when he was bowled swinging across the line at Ollie Robinson, who then picked up Eoin Morgan with his next ball when England’s one-day skipper miscued a drive to long off.It was a rare moment of relief in the field for Sussex. None of the six bowlers used were spared but Jordan, who had driven down from Headingley earlier in the day after being left out of England’s team for the second Test against New Zealand, suffered the most with his four overs going for 47 before he made amends with 35 from 23 balls as his side at least went down with a fight.
