Sussex 335 and 172 for five (Haines 64) want 59 runs to beat Durham 376 and 189 (Robinson 58, Hudson-Prentice 4-27, Crocombe 4-47)

Sussex’s youthful promise has been damned by the cricket gods on multiple event in recent times, and their supporters will sleep uneasily on a requirement of 59 with 5 wickets nonetheless standing. They appeared to have a treasured victory all however safe at 166 for 3 with six overs left within the day, just for Durham to pluck out two set batters – together with the totemic determine of Cheteshwar Pujara – because the shadows lengthened in Hove.

Pujara had averred on the second night, after his 115 had stored Sussex inside touching distance on first innings, that his facet had been assured of chasing down “wherever near 350”. Because it was, Durham’s tumble via the trapdoor marked Tough Third Innings noticed the visiting facet dismissed for 189 inside two classes, permitting Sussex to work their method steadily in the direction of a goal of 230 because the seagulls swooped and contrails criss-crossed a milky blue sky.

It might have been too cute for them to gallivant to victory inside three days, having spent a lot of the primary half of the match below the cosh, however Tom Haines supplied the platform with 64 from 69 balls on the high of the order and Pujara appeared as soon as once more to be batting with the understanding of a tractor beam. However after Matthew Kuhnemann trapped Tom Clark lbw taking part in throughout the road to finish a half-century stand, Pujara’s miscued pull picked out Michael Jones at brief midwicket to spark jubilation among the many males from Durham. Pujara regarded so disenchanted with himself that he would possibly properly have cursed.Haines and Ali Orr had begun the chase in assured vogue, Matt Potts taken for 3 fours in his second over because the openers chalked 30 off the requirement. Orr then swiped the primary ball delivered by Brydon Carse straight to fantastic leg, earlier than Haines and Alsop settled the innings with a partnership of 77. Alsop was dismissed trying to reverse-sweep Kuhnemann – Potts doing properly to carry a sprawling catch as he dived behind the wicketkeeper – and the persevering Carse then bounced out Haines to extend the Sussex jitters.

Paul Farbrace, Sussex’s head coach, had…

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