Phil Salt hits 28 off one James Taylor over in Hove
Friday 28 August 2020 22:40, UK
Sussex and Surrey were frustrated onlookers as rain ruined a promising-looking Vitality Blast T20 match at Hove, while Birmingham's game against Somerset was abandoned without a ball bowled.
Surrey were looking slight favourites when play was abandoned after just 15.2 overs of play, meaning both teams took a point from their opening match of this year's contest. Sussex vs Surrey scorecard
Surrey had chosen to bowl and the Sussex captain Luke Wright and Phil Salt got their side off to a solid start.
They had a let-off in the fourth over when Wright, on 19, was caught at mid-on off the bowling of Matt Dunn - but umpire Ian Gould ruled a no-ball because Surrey had three fielders outside the circle.
Wright did not make the most of his reprieve because he was out in the following over, chopping a delivery from Gus Atkinson onto his stumps for 31.
Salt responded to this disappointment by thrashing the next over, bowled by James Taylor, for 28 runs. The sequence went four, six, six, four, four, four - with the maximums both clearing the cow corner boundary.
However, the Sussex innings then imploded. In the ninth over Harry Finch skied left-arm spinner Daniel Moriarty to Rory Burns on the leg-side boundary, before Salt hit the last delivery of the 10th over flat to deep backward square-leg for a 22-ball 40.
The hosts' chances of posting a high score all but disappeared in the first three balls of the 12th over. First Delay Rawlins, backing up too much, could not get back in his ground and was run out for seven, and two balls later Ravi Bopara, making his keenly-anticipated debut for Sussex, miscued his pull to midwicket having scored just a single.
Sussex were suddenly 95-5 and looking up against it - Aaron Thomason and George Garton began the rebuild, but the game was called off with the Sharks 116-5.
Birmingham and Somerset endured a night of frustration as rain washed out their Vitality Blast opener at Edgbaston without a ball bowled.
The contest was officially abandoned by the umpires after a 7.45pm inspection, following the latest in a series of heavy showers which saturated the ground.
It meant both teams took a point from the Central group clash.
Watch a Blast double header on Sky Sports Cricket on Monday. Leicestershire vs Durham is live from 1pm, with Derbyshire vs Lancashire then live from 6.30pm.
