Vitality Blast: Pepper and Cook spice Essex win over Sussex

Michael Pepper continued his Vitality Blast form as his 48 and Sam Cook’s four-for set up a five-wicket victory for Essex against Sussex Sharks.

Batter Pepper was the Eagles’ top scorer in 2022 with 439 runs and had belatedly started 2023, after a finger injury, with 63 in defeat at Somerset on Sunday.

Fast bowler Cook had helped restrict the Sharks to 147 with 4-20, despite Ravi Bopara’s 50, before Pepper and Adam Rossington broke the chase with 76 for the second wicket.

Matt Critchley and Daniel Sams completed the win with 31 balls to spare as Essex chalked up their third victory from five matches and Sussex were condemned to a fourth straight defeat.

In the chase, Dan Lawrence was caught at mid-on second ball but Pepper and Rossington got the Eagles off to a flier with 77 runs coming in the powerplay.

Henry Crocombe was Rossington’s victim with a variety of scoops and pulls to and over the boundary in a healthy 21-run over.

Nathan McAndrew was sprayed for 21 at the other end in a 10-ball over with Pepper using his crease to create angles to crash four fours.

Rossington flamingoed his fourth six but his stay ended when he turned Tymal Mills around the corner to short leg, before Robin Das and Paul Walter followed quickly.

Pepper popped Bopara back over his head but Shadab Khan pinned him lbw on the reverse sweep.

But Critchley and Sams eased to the finish line with a 45-run stand.

Sussex chose to bat and lost Toms Clark, Haines and Alsop in the powerplay but Bopara steadied things with Shadab Khan and Michael Burgess.

Bopara played 67 home T20 matches for Essex, from the inaugural 2003 season to 2019, with all but one coming at the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford so knows the dimensions of the ground better than most.

On this occasion he targeted the leg side boundary on the Doug Insole Pavilion side, dragging Ben Allison for six from outside the off stump before two slog sweeps off Simon Harmer.

He added 35 with Shadab, and after the Pakistani was bowled by Walter’s first ball, Burgess helped bring 40 in 24 balls.

Bopara’s 46th T20 fifty came in 30 balls but he departed when Shane Snater grabbed some air to catch at long-on.

Sussex would only score another 33 in the last six overs as Critchley dismissed James Coles and McAndrew in the 16th over, while Cook had Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Burgess caught in the same over.

Sams got the wicket his tight bowling deserved when Mills chipped to a diving Harmer at cover as Sussex were bowled out for 147 with three balls unused.

“It has been a lovely start. I was disappointed to miss out on the first few games but it is good to be back and thankfully in the runs,” said Pepper.

“The way I bat is working, so there is no real reason to change it. Everything in the game feels good and I am happy to just be playing.

“I was very disappointed to get out again when we still needed 40-odd runs, I wanted to be the guy at the end, but thankfully the guys got over the line.

“The bowling performance, like on Sunday against Somerset, was incredible. To restrict them to 147 on a decent pitch with small boundaries was an unbelievable effort. Everyone nailed their lengths and did their job. The first half really set us up to win the game.

“The fielding performance was also near-on perfect. It was sensational and saved us so many runs in saving boundaries and the catching.

“We are in a very good position. The two defeats aren’t ideal but that is T20 and everyone is going to lose the odd game. We are very happy with our position.”

Essex head to Kent tonight (Wednesday) and Glamorgan on Friday (6.30pm).