Sussex on course for victory
A Nottinghamshire collapse left the hosts staring at defeat as Sussex took firm control of their County Championship meeting at Trent Bridge
14-Sep-2011
A Nottinghamshire collapse left the hosts staring at defeat as Sussex took firm control of their County Championship meeting at Trent Bridge.
Beginning the day on 132 for 1, 356 behind the visitors, Nottinghamshire reached 206 for 2 before losing their last eight batsmen for 105, with Monty Panesar and Naved Arif taking three wickets each. Darren Bravo and captain Chris Read both hit half-centuries but Nottinghamshire were still dismissed for 311 and were duly asked to follow on.
Panesar picked up two more victims to take his season's haul to 69 as Nottinghamshire lost three wickets in 11 balls before bad light brought an early end to proceedings, with them still trailing by 74 runs.
On a slow and flat Trent Bridge wicket, Nottinghamshire supporters had every reason to think their side could avoid the follow-on having seen Sussex rack up 488 over the first two days. Overnight batsmen Karl Turner and Bravo both progressed with little trouble - Bravo hitting Panesar for a six over long-off - before James Anyon's worthy opening spell claimed a wicket as Turner played on off the back foot for 64.
Bravo reached a patient 50 off 144 balls but then saw Riki Wessels and Steven Mullaney sent back to the pavilion in the space of three balls as Arif removed the off-stump of both batsmen. Sussex skipper Mike Yardy's inspired decision to begin the afternoon session with the gentle medium-pace of Joe Gatting paid off immediately as Bravo played all around an in-swinging delivery and was plumb lbw for 53.
Read and Paul Franks put on 41 for the sixth wicket before Franks feathered a defensive edge off Arif through to wicketkeeper Ben Brown, and the tail swiftly subsided. Amjad Khan bowled Graeme White and had Luke Fletcher caught at second slip, while Panesar ended Read's resistance for 55 with a Brown stumping and then bowled Andre Adams to wrap up the innings.
At that stage there were still 38 overs left in the day but when Notts' in-form opener Alex Hales ended his season in poor fashion, edging a forcing shot off Khan to first slip in the seventh over, the brittle batting line-up was left exposed.
Panesar had Bravo caught behind off a defensive edge and fizzed a quicker ball into Wessels' off-stump two balls later. At that point a three-day victory for Sussex looked a possibility but despite Chris Nash removing Turner lbw for 42 in the next over, deepening cloud cover ended the day's play on 103 for 4.
