Coles' career-best helps Sussex to winning start at Lord's
James Coles smashed a career-best unbeaten 77 from 44 balls to set up a winning start to the Vitality Blast for Sussex Sharks as they held off Middlesex at Lord's.
The 21-year-old's destructive knock, which included five sixes and five fours, underpinned his unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 88 from 47 with Tom Clark and ensured that last year's Blast semi-finalists totalled 202 for four.
That proved to be enough as the home side fell just short at 186 for seven in reply, despite a maiden T20 half-century by Ben Geddes (51 from 37) and Ryan Higgins' fearless late display of hitting to rack up 44 from 16.
Middlesex made an early breakthrough after winning the toss and opting to bowl, with Noah Cornwell's opening delivery dragged on by Harrison Ward before John Simpson (22 from 12) and Daniel Hughes really got the scoreboard moving.
Hughes began to open up after Simpson's departure, flaying Henry Brookes for successive leg-side sixes but the Australian's knock of 38 from 20 came to an abrupt end as Tom Helm's fingertips deflected Coles' drive onto the stumps at the non-striker's end.
Luke Hollman's astute spell of one for 38 prevented Sussex from gaining greater traction – although the leg-spinner's figures were dented by a trio of sixes from Coles, who advanced to his third T20 half-century by drilling Cornwell over his head for four.
With Clark (26 from 21) taking on a supporting role, Coles scooped Higgins for another maximum as the pair accelerated during the death overs, taking 29 from the final nine balls of the innings to clamber above 200.
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, making his Middlesex debut, provided brief fireworks at the start of their reply, hitting two sixes in 14 from 12 before he fell to Ward's smart diving catch on the point boundary.
But, although Geddes pummelled both Tymal Mills and Brad Currie over the fence, Sussex's seamers achieved a degree of accuracy that had eluded the home bowlers and the required run-rate soon soared.
Stephen Eskinazi (34 from 30) shared a partnership of 58 from 45 with Geddes before he fell to another boundary catch off Currie (two for 38), while Leus du Plooy and Jack Davies both departed cheaply as Sussex turned the screw.
However, a flurry of boundaries from Hollman (20 from nine) lifted the tempo and Higgins took up the baton, hammering Mills for two enormous sixes and two fours in the penultimate over to keep Middlesex's faint hopes alive.
But Ollie Robinson (three for 27) kept his cool to send down a near-flawless final over, having Geddes caught in the deep and then yorking Higgins to seal Sussex's victory.
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