Skipper says Sussex fell off a cliff again in home defeat

Tymal Mills said Sussex fell of a cliff again as they suffered Vitality Blast defeat at Hove.

Sharks were well-beaten by Surrey, despite reaching 92 without loss in seven overs.

They failed to double their score from that position, losing ten wickets for 77 runs as bowlers Dan Lawrence and Tom Lawes put a stranglehold on the home team.

That left Surrey needing just 172 for victory and Will Jacks, with memories of his century here last season, and Australian Josh Philippe, making his first appearance for the club, led the way with a century stand for the second wicket, each scoring fifty from 25 deliveries.

The victory margin was seven wickets with 27 deliveries to spare.

Sussex skipper Mills said: “We were very poor. We were poor in the first half of the tournament but we were in games and we lost a couple of very close ones.

“We needed five wins out of six to qualify so we’ve obviously made it pretty difficult for ourselves at the get-go.

"We wanted to start well today and carry momentum into the rest of the competition. It’s a very disappointing night.

“It’s a trend that we throw away good starts. We’ve had analysis done and we’re the best batting team in the country in the powerplay.

"And then we fall off a cliff pretty much every game.

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“It’s a pattern. We lost four for 15 today and you’re not going to win games doing that, especially against teams like Surrey.

"We need high scores at Hove in particular. It’s a high-scoring ground, a nice ground to bat on. But we fell away after getting ahead of the game.”

Harrison Ward’s 29-ball 49 included seven fours and two sixes.

Fellow opener Daniel Hughes drove Tom Lawes straight to Chris Jordan at extra-cover for a 19-ball 45, with six fours and two sixes.