BIRMINGHAM, England, CMC – Barbadian fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan both shone in the semi-final but had no such luck in the final, as Sussex suffered a five-wicket defeat to see Worcestershire lift the English T20 title here yesterday.
Playing in the second semi-final at Edgbaston, Sussex had produced a clinical all-round effort to send Somerset tumbling to a 35-run loss while Worcestershire beat Lancashire by 20 runs in the preceding contest.
Opting to bat first, Sussex rattled up an impressive 202 for eight off their 20 overs with captain Luke Wright top-scoring with 92 from 53 balls and South African David Wiese getting 52 from 29 deliveries.
West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor was brilliant in leading Somerset’s attack, snaring four for 20 from his four overs.
The Jamaican removed the first two wickets to leave Sussex on 44 for two in the fifth over but Wright led the recovery, adding 29 for the third wicket with 21-year-old Bermudian Delray Rawlins (18) and then a critical 120 for the fourth wicket with Wiese.
Wright struck five fours and seven sixes before he was fourth out in the 18th over with a century in sight.
Somerset, in reply, were quickly undermined by the outstanding Archer who claimed three for 32 while England all-rounder Jordan supported well with two for 17 from four miserly overs.
Archer removed both openers Steven Davies (1) and Johann Myburgh (22) in his two first overs as Somerset stumbled their way to 48 for four.
However, New Zealander Corey Anderson and Tom Abell, both of whom struck 48, posted 84 for the fifth wicket to rally the innings but Somerset still found themselves short at 167 for eight, as Archer and Jordan returned late to dry up the scoring.
In the final at the same venue just hours later, neither Archer nor Jordan could reproduce their earlier form as Sussex failed to defend a modest 157 for six.
