Chris Jordan hit a thrilling unbeaten 56 to give Sussex a dramatic victory over Warwickshire. In his first match for the county this season having been released by England, the pace bowler came to the crease with his side requiring 92 to win with four wickets remaining and his swashbuckling innings guided Sussex to victory to bring on scenes of unexpected jubilation on the home balcony.
In partnership with the wicketkeeper Ben Brown, Jordan played a series of crunching pulls and drives and ran aggressively between the wickets to bring up his half-century in only 33 balls. Sussex were nine wickets down and needing six runs to win when he launched Boyd Rankin back over his head towards the beach to seal the win.
Warwickshire’s second innings had been wrapped up quickly, adding only another 20 to their overnight score which left the home side with what looked to be a very tricky 190 to win.
Sussex’s chase began badly. Chris Nash was the first to go with the score on 14, mis-timing a pull to midwicket. He was closely followed by Luke Wells who could not replicate his heroics of the first innings. Fierce movement off the seam from Chris Wright induced a thick edge to the slips and then two overs later Wright picked up another wicket, that of Harry Finch, who was clean bowled.
Warwickshire must have felt the gods were against them when Jonathan Trott dropped the easiest of catches at deep square leg when Ed Joyce had just come to the crease. It did not end up being a costly drop, as Joyce was dismissed lbw by Rikki Clarke for 13 with the first ball after lunch to leave Sussex struggling on 38 for four.
Luke Wright also fell victim to Clarke with a deliver that brutally popped up off a good length. All Wright could do was gently fend it to Patel at second slip.
Warwickshire will be left scratching their heads as to how they lost this one. They had done well to get themselves to 200 and a lead of 189 that looked like it might well be plenty. They will look back wistfully at dropped catches and some short, wide bowling which allowed Brown, coming in at number seven, to capitalise. Warwickshire had let their foot off the gas and the pressure was put back on to the visitors.
The defining moment of the final day came when Jordan was dropped by Keith Barker at long on with Sussex requiring 12 to win. Barker had done the hard work getting his hands to the ball but it popped out as he tried to snaffle it. It was to prove pivotal.
This match had been dominated by the pitch; the variable bounce making it nigh on impossible for batsmen to get settled – three players sustained injuries because of it. It remains to be seen whether Sussex will be docked points, the umpires and captains spent a considerable amount of time talking to the cricket liaison officer Tony Piggot at the end of play and he will file his report to Lord’s accordingly.
This was a match that provided extraordinary drama though one spectator noted “this is the worst pitch I’ve seen here at Hove in the fifteen years I’ve been coming here. It’s embarrassing”. It certainly did not provide a fair contest between bat and ball. The head groundsman has been tasked with making sure the pitches are not flat and dull as they have sometimes been in the past, but he must make sure it does not go too far the other way. Having had two second XI matches abandoned here earlier in the season because the pitch was deemed unfit, Sussex are treading a thin line.
