NatWest T20 Blast: Somerset see off Sussex in South Division
Sunday 15 June 2014 19:01, UK
Dirk Nannes took 5-31 and Craig Kieswetter hit a breezy 70 as Somerset made it two wins in three days in the NatWest T20 Blast with victory by 34 runs over Sussex Sharks at Arundel Castle.
On a slow pitch Somerset's 163-4 always looked like being too much for a Sussex side struggling for confidence in this format and Nannes finished them off by yorking James Anyon and Chris Liddle with successive deliveries as they were bowled out for 129 in 18.5 overs.
Nannes struck in his second over when he had Chris Nash, who was restored to the top of Sussex's order, was well held by Alfonso Thomas in the deep.
Luke Wright threatened to provide some momentum when he hit Thomas's first ball for six, but the experienced South African seamer bowled Wright as he attempted to swing through the leg side with his third delivery and from then on Sussex never looked capable of threatening Somerset's score.
Craig Meschede, varying his pace impressively on a sluggish surface, picked up 2-26 and leg spinner Max Waller snared Sussex's last realistic hope when he had skipper Ed Joyce taken on the mid-wicket boundary for 25 in the 12th over.
Yasir Arafat hit two fours in an over off Craig Overton to give them brief hope and finished unbeaten on 36 from 23 balls, but Nannes returned to take four wickets in seven balls, including three in his final over.
Earlier, Kieswetter had anchored Somerset's innings with 70 off 49 balls.
But Sussex clawed it back impressively through Steffan Piolet (2-24) and after hitting three fours and a six in the first six overs Kieswetter was becalmed to such an extent that he only hit one more four until the 17th over, when he took two boundaries off successive balls from left-armer Chris Liddle.
He was eventually caught at long on in the 18th over but Alviro Petersen made an unbeaten 29 from 24 balls at the end to propel Somerset to a score which they defended comfortably in the end.
