Sussex ended their pre-season tour with their third straight defeat after slipping to a 33-run reverse to reigning county champions Durham in today's 40 overs game in Abu Dhabi.

Chasing Durham’s modest 224-6, which was built around half-centuries for for former Sussex player Michael Di Venuto (51) and Dale Benkenstein (61), the reigning 40 over champions slumped to 100-6 after 22 overs before reaching a face-saving 191 to lose by 33 runs with 11 balls to spare.

The Sharks made the worst possible start to their pursuit of 5.63 runs an over when they lost two wickets in the first over of the reply. Michael Thornely, pushing away from his body to a length ball from Mitchell Claydon, was caught behind off the first delivery and Joe Gatting (1) chanced a second run on an overthrow and was beaten by Will Smith's throw to the striker's end.

In the sixth over Sussex committed another costly blunder when Ben Brown (16) pushed set off only for Smith to take aim at the non-striker’s stumps and run him out with a direct hit.

Yardy (37) and Ragheb Aga (18) regrouped with a stand of 52 in 11 overs for the fourth wicket but the introduction of spin at both ends again sent Sussex on the slide as leg-spinner Scott Borthwick pegged back Yardy’s off stump after the left-hander missed an attempted dab to third man. Aga went in the next over when his reverse paddle looped to the fielder at short third-man.

Any lingering hopes of a Sussex victory ended when Robin Martin-Jenkins (14) was stumped by Durham’s new understudy keeper Michael Richardson.

Andrew Hodd, playing solely as a batsman, helped paper over the cracks with a bright 48 at almost a run-a-ball as he and Ollie Rayner added 55.

However, in the first over of the batting power-play, Hodd chipped a simple catch to deep square to give Claydon a second wicket and then Chad Keegan holed out to cow corner as the last three wickets fell for 11 runs.

The Durham total relied heavily on the experience of Di Venuto and Benkenstein, though opening bat Mark Stoneman also chipped in with a chancy 43. He should have gone for a single, but Ollie Rayner downed a dipping chance at first slip off the luckless James Kirtley.

Though the Sussex spinners performed better on a good pitch, Monty Panesar finished wicket-less from a six over stint that cost 38 run. Keegan proved the pick of the attack with 3-26.