Image: Sussex beat Kent by 3 wickets with 10 balls left / © The Sportsrush
On August 7, 2025, Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground buzzed with anticipation as Sussex and Kent locked horns in a Group B One-Day Cup thriller. Sussex pulled off a heart-stopping 3-wicket win, chasing down Kent’s imposing 288-run target with 10 balls to spare. Kent, sent in to bat after Sussex won the toss, posted a solid 287/9 in 50 overs, their innings built on gritty partnerships and dogged middle-order efforts. Sussex, rocked early in their chase, fought back with steely resolve, reaching 288/7 in 48.2 overs to claim 4 crucial points.
Kent’s innings kicked off with a jolt as Sussex’s bowlers came out swinging. Jaydn Denly, striding out to open, barely had time to settle before Fynn Hudson-Prentice struck. A sharp outswinger found Denly’s edge, and Henry Crocombe gleefully snapped up the catch at slip, sending the opener back for a duck in the first over. The Sussex faithful roared, sensing blood. The pressure didn’t let up, and in the 5th over, Ben Compton’s brief cameo of 11 runs off 14 balls, studded with two crisp cover drives, ended when he nicked Aristides Karvelas to wicketkeeper John Simpson. At 27/2 after 5.1 overs, Kent were wobbling, their early dreams of a big score in tatters.
Joey Evison and Chris Benjamin stepped up to salvage the innings, stitching together an 81-run stand that steadied the ship. Evison was a picture of confidence, carving 52 runs off 54 balls, his 10 boundaries flowing like poetry through the off-side. His flicks and drives kept the scoreboard ticking, frustrating Sussex’s bowlers. Benjamin, more restrained, chipped in with 34 off 41 balls, his three fours and a monstrous six over midwicket drawing cheers from the Kent supporters. Their partnership was a lifeline, but it unravelled in the 18th over when Danny Lamb snagged a stunning caught-and-bowled to dismiss Benjamin. Evison followed in the 19th over, miscuing a lofted shot off Archie Lenham’s spin to leave Kent at 108/4, their hopes hanging by a thread.
Captain Harry Finch and young Ekansh Singh took up the fight, knitting an 89-run partnership that breathed new life into Kent’s innings. Finch, cool as ever, scored 38 off 52 balls, his five boundaries placed with surgical precision. Singh, brimming with youthful fire, smashed 48 off 61 balls, his two fours and two sixes, including a soaring shot over long-on, lighting up the ground. Their stand carried Kent past 150, but disaster struck in quick succession as Finch fell in the 36th over, caught by Tom Clark at mid-off, and Singh edged Karvelas to slip in the 38th, leaving Kent at 199/6 and teetering.
Jack Leaning and debutant Mohammed Rizvi rose to the challenge, their 75-run seventh-wicket stand injecting vital runs. Leaning’s 37 off 31 balls, with three fours and a six, was pure aggression, while Rizvi’s 36 off 33 balls, including four boundaries and a six, showed maturity beyond his years. Sussex clawed back late, with Hudson-Prentice dismissing Rizvi and Fred Klaassen (3 off 2) and Lamb removing Leaning in the 48th over. Matt Parkinson (3 not out off 5) and Michael Cohen (6 not out off 7) eked out a few more, guiding Kent to 287/9. Sussex’s bowlers were relentless, led by Hudson-Prentice’s 3 for 65. Karvelas (2 for 48) and Lamb (2 for 44) kept the pressure on, conceding just 19 extras (11 wides, 4 leg byes, 4 no-balls). Kent’s run rate of 5.74 was built on partnerships, but Sussex’s discipline kept them in check.
Sussex’s chase of 288 began with a nightmare as Kent’s Michael Cohen unleashed havoc. Danial Ibrahim was pinned lbw for a duck on the second ball, a vicious inswinger leaving him rooted. Tom Haines followed in the 3rd over, his 5 runs off 5 balls ending with an edge to Harry Finch off Cohen’s fiery bowling. At 11/2 after 2.1 overs, Sussex’s chase looked doomed. Tom Clark and Fynn Hudson-Prentice fought back, adding 39 for the third wicket. Clark’s 16 off 18 balls, with four boundaries, was full of intent, but Fred Klaassen’s pinpoint yorker bowled him. Hudson-Prentice’s 24 off 25, with five fours, ended in the 8th over, caught off Cohen, leaving Sussex at 53/4 and the crowd hushed.
John Simpson and Oli Carter turned the tide with a 90-run stand. Simpson, the steady captain, scored 50 off 51 balls, his seven boundaries oozing class. Carter, the aggressor, blazed 68 off 85 balls, his five fours and three sixes, each lofted shot a crowd-pleaser, keeping Sussex alive. Their partnership reached 143 before Simpson fell in the 27th over, bowled by Jack Leaning’s clever spin. Carter kept fighting, but his dismissal in the 33rd over, caught by Jaydn Denembe off Cohen at deep midwicket, left Sussex at 176/6, needing 112 more.
Danny Lamb and Jack Carson added 24 for the seventh wicket, Lamb’s 16 off 23 balls, with a four and a six, offering hope. But Klaassen’s strike in the 37th over left Sussex at 200/7, the chase teetering. Then came the game-changer, an unbeaten 88-run stand between Carson and Archie Lenham. Carson, unflappable, scored 50 not out off 43 balls, his five fours and a six anchoring the effort. Lenham’s 45 not out off 38, with six boundaries and a six, was electric, sealing the win at 288/7 in 48.2 overs. Cohen’s 4 for 65 led Kent’s bowling, with Klaassen (2 for 60) and Leaning (1 for 17) supporting. But Evison (0/30) and Parkinson (0/67) couldn’t stop the Carson-Lenham surge. Sussex’s 14 extras and 5.95 run rate fueled their gritty triumph.
Ekansh Singh, Kent’s 18-year-old star, delivered the match’s defining moment, earning TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game. His composed 48 off 61 balls, with two fours and two sixes, was a beacon of hope when Kent were reeling at 108/4. Singh’s 71-minute knock, blending caution with flair, included a breathtaking six over long-on that had the crowd roaring. His 89-run stand with Harry Finch (38 off 52) was the backbone of Kent’s recovery, steering them toward a competitive total.
Facing Sussex’s probing attack, led by Fynn Hudson-Prentice (3/65) and Aristides Karvelas (2/48), Singh showed maturity, picking gaps and timing his aggression perfectly. Though he fell in the 38th over, caught by Tom Clark off Karvelas, his innings laid the groundwork for Kent’s late charge, with Jack Leaning (37) and Mohammed Rizvi (36) building on his effort. Singh’s poise under pressure was a glimpse of his potential, making his knock the standout moment of Kent’s fightback.
Michael Cohen was TCNI’s Hero of the Day, his fiery bowling nearly derailing Sussex’s chase. In 9 overs, he claimed 4 wickets for 65 runs, delivering 34 dot balls with an economy of 7.22. Cohen struck on the second ball, trapping Danial Ibrahim lbw for a duck, and followed up in the 3rd over by dismissing Tom Haines (5) with a sharp catch to Harry Finch.
His relentless pace broke Sussex’s early momentum, and he struck again in the 8th over, removing Fynn Hudson-Prentice (24) to leave Sussex at 53/4. Cohen’s final blow came in the 33rd over, dismissing Oli Carter (68) with a catch at deep midwicket, halting a dangerous partnership. His aggressive spell kept Sussex on edge, forcing their lower order to dig deep. Despite Sussex’s eventual triumph, thanks to Jack Carson and Archie Lenham’s heroics, Cohen’s precision and fire made him the standout performer, earning him the spotlight in a match that swung dramatically until the final overs.