NatWest T20 Blast: Chris Gayle flops as Somerset lose to Sussex

Chris Nash hits maiden T20 ton in Sussex's 48-run victory

By David Ruse

Image: Chris Gayle was bowled for five by Tymal Mills

Chris Gayle was outdone by Sussex’s Chris Nash as he made just five in Somerset’s 48-run NatWest T20 Blast defeat in Hove.

Gayle, back at Somerset for a six-game stint after walloping one hundred and two fifties in three innings for the club in 2015, was bowled by a 93mph Tymal Mills yorker as the visitors limped to 174 all out chasing Sussex's 222-3.

Nash's 112 not out from 64 balls, his maiden T20 ton, had powered Sussex above 200 for the second straight game, with the South Coast outfit thumping 242 in their opening win over Gloucestershire.

Image: Chris Nash scored a maiden T20 ton

Luke Wright (83 from 39) also starred on his first appearance of the season following a back injury as he put on 156 with Nash for the opening wicket, the partnership just three runs shy of the Sussex record 159 Wright and Matt Machan amassed against Essex at Chelmsford in 2014.

Somerset skipper Jim Allenby (0) was then bowled off the first legal ball by Ajmal Shahzad - Shahzad's opening delivery was a wide - with Gayle's stumps shattered in the second over.

Advertisement

Mahela Jayawardena (51 off 34) - part of Sussex's Blast squad last season - and Roelof van der Merwe (59 off 29) impressed but could not prevent Somerset slipping to a second straight loss to start the campaign.

Image: Mills bowled at break-neck speed for Sussex

Elsewhere in the South Group, Essex beat Glamorgan by seven wickets in Cardiff with Jesse Ryder (42), Tom Westley (41), Ryan ten Doeschate (30no) and Dan Lawrence (24no) easing the away side to their 141-run target in 16.2 overs. 

Also See:

Ravi Bopara made just four with the bat but economical bowling from both him and David Masters - the duo shipped just 18 runs each from their four overs - restricted Glamorgan to 140-6, despite teenager Aneurin Donald's 51.

Durham, meanwhile, beat Nottinghamshire by 66 runs in the North Group, with 40-year-old Paul Collingwood and seamers Barry McCarthy and Paul Coughlin playing important roles.

Live NatWest T20 Blast Cricket

Collingwood's unbeaten 44 from 27 balls lifted Durham to 178-7 after Samit Patel (3-14) had spun the home side to 92-5 at the start of the 13th over at Emirates Riverside.

Notts opener Riki Wessels, fresh from a Championship ton against the same opposition earlier in the week, hit 38 but his departure led to the visitors losing their last eight wickets for 41 runs.

McCarthy picked up Wessels' wicket, along with those of Patel (15) and Michael Lumb (8), with Coughlin polishing off the lower order as Nottinghamshire were skittled for 112 in 19.2 overs.

Outbrain