Gloucestershire Gladiators v Sussex Sharks
Friends Provident t20 South Division.
At Gloucester
Matt Prior brought Gloucestershire crashing down to earth by leading Sussex to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory at Archdeacon Meadow.
The Friends Provident t20 Southern Division leaders strengthened their position, reaching a target of 167 with more than four overs to spare.
It was a saluttory experience for a Gladiators team who had thrashed Surrey Lions in their previous fixture and they must now look to bounce back against Kent Spitfires at the same venue on Sunday.
Left out of England’s 13-man one-day international squad earlier this week, Prior smashed an unbeaten 90 from 49 balls as county cricket returned to Gloucester’s Kings School for the first time since 2008.
Chris Taylor top-scored with 35 for the Gladiators, whose total of 166-8 was never likely to deter a batting line-up ideally-equipped to take advantage of the shorter boundaries of an out ground.
Sussex effectively had the game in the bag after amassing 71 runs during the six overs of power-play for the loss of only Brendan McCullum.
New Zealand star McCullum had given the Sharks' reply early impetus, crashing 22 runs off 10 balls, with 3 fours and a six to confirm his reputation as a destroyer of Twenty20 new ball bowling.
After his departure, Prior took centre stage, smashing his way to 50 off just 28 balls and sending a timely reminder to the England selectors, who preferred Somerset’s Craig Kieswetter for the one-day international series against Australia and the match against Scotland.
The 28-year-old clearly had a point to prove, blasting 3 sixes and 11 fours and sharing in stands of 39, 69 and 60 with McCullum, Murray Goodwin and Michael Yardy respectively.
Earlier Gloucestershire had come out of the traps with all guns blazing, James Franklin and Will Porterfield scoring 32 in just three overs in a manner which suggested Sharks skipper Yardy had made the wrong decision opting to bowl first on an unfamiliar ground.
Anything short of a length was unceremoniously pulled for four, while Irish international Porterfield greeted England World Cup winner Luke Wright by lifting him over square leg for the first six of the match.
The Sharks refused to panic, readjusted their length and slowly but surely regained control, removing the dashing Porterfield and Gladiators skipper Alex Gidman in successive overs.
Porterfield wafted at James Kirtley’s first delivery and was caught at short third man for 18 and Gidman played a false shot across the line and surrendered his off stump to Wright as the Gladiators reached the end of the six-over power-play on 49-2.
England one-day international Yardy then turned the screw, persuading Franklin to hit to short mid-wicket for 26, to further reduce the home side.
The innings was in need of fresh impetus, but Hamish Marshall, frustrated at being tied down, was bowled for 17 attempting to dispatch Chris Nash over cow corner as Gloucestershire slumped to 88-4 in the 12th over.
Slow left armer Yardy proved especially difficult to get away and his four over spell of 1-18 confirmed the impression that the visitors were in the ascendancy.
Gloucestershire urgently required a response and Taylor met the demands of the day in thrilling fashion, slog-sweeping Chris Nash and Kirtley for handsome sixes to get the scoreboard moving again.
By the time he was caught in the deep to become Wright’s second victim, he had harvested 35 from 21 balls and shared in a progressive stand of 37 with Abdul-Kadeer Ali for the fifth wicket.
Bullish Ian Butler adopted long-handle tactics to bludgeon 19 from nine balls and Kadeer finished unbeaten on 24 to at least carry his side to a respectable total.
