Tom Alsop and Alaistair Orr’s momentous 204-run partnership for the second wicket has propelled Sussex’s score to 354/6 at the end of Day 1.
Electing to bat first at their County Ground in Hove, Sussex suffered a massive blow in the 9th over by Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi. The left-arm seamer castled Sussex’s skipper, Tom Haines, on 17, with the scorecard reading 21.
The skipper’s dismissal did not bog down the home team. Instead, Alsop joined Orr in the middle, and the duo took the attack to the opposition. Alsop, in particular, played at a brisk rate and kept the scoreboard ticking with ones, twos and occasional boundaries.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Orr fell on 99, missing out on the three-figure mark by a solitary run. Leg-spinner Luke Hollman dismissed him to bring some relief to the Middlesex camp. Orr’s knock was studded with eight fours and one six.
Orr’s wicket brought the in-form Cheteshwar Pujara to the crease. Pujara’s innings lasted ten balls, but his short stay at the crease was quite unlike him. He raced to 8 off two balls, punishing poor bowling from Hollman.
And then he followed up with a six in the leg-spinner’s next over. After that, however, the Indian import became Ethan Bamber’s first victim and got dismissed on 16.
Middlesex further snared two wickets in quick succession, including the wicket of centurion Alsop. The Sussex number 3 returned after a magnificent knock of 113 off 179 balls, with twelve boundaries to his name.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and George Garton prevented an imminent collapse and stitched a 64-run partnership.
Blake Cullen accounted for Rizwan on 31, and this wicket brought Ollie Robinson to the crease. Robinson and Garton will be the two overnight batters who will resume on Day 2.
Brief scores:
Sussex 1st Innings: 354/6
Tom Alsop 113, Alaistair Orr 99
Ethan Bamber 51/1 (21)