Essex’s hopes in balance after subsiding to below-par total despite Tom Westley half-century
Sussex 148 for 4 (Bopara 62*, Rawlins 50*) beat Essex 146 for 9 (Westley 53, Jordan 3-30) by six wickets
The 36-year-old, who spent 17 years at Chelmsford before heading to Sussex last year, came in after skipper Luke Wright departed for a first-ball duck and supervised a successful chase of 147 with nine balls to spare. Victory lifted Sussex into second place in the South Group and one win from their two remaining games, away to Hampshire and Kent, will be enough to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Essex will need to win both their games to have a chance of making the last eight.
Bopara’s 62 came off 46 balls with eight boundaries while Rawlins produced some fireworks at the end, winning the game with a straight six off Nijjar which took him to a 29-ball fifty, with four sixes and three fours.
Earlier, Tom Westley made a half-century on his return after missing Essex’s six previous games but when he was brilliantly caught by Head running in from midwicket in the 16th over the Eagles nosedived, losing six wickets for 22 in 23 balls in a total of 146 for 9.
Westley and Michael Pepper had put on 72 from 52 balls for the second wicket after Ollie Robinson had Adam Wheater caught at extra cover with his first ball. Pepper made 38 before he was beaten in the flight by 16-year-old legspinner Archie Lenham and Westley contributed 53 off 45 balls, with a six and four boundaries, but once he went a combination of tight bowling and excellent fielding put Sussex in control.
Chris Jordan, back after recovering from a groin injury, took 3 for 30 and showed all his experience while Robinson, who had to self-isolate for ten days after a team-mate tested positive for Covid-19, picked up 2 for 15 in his first game back.
Essex could only manage four boundaries and a six in the second half of their innings as well as Harrison Ward and Bopara also took outstanding catches in the deep to back up some accurate bowling.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo