What a difference a few days make.

Last Thursday Sussex looked bereft of any confidence as they slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat in the Twenty20 Cup against Middlesex.

After that dismal performance there was a real fear the Sharks could actually go on to lose all ten games but today they resembled world-beaters as they fought back against Surrey to cruise to a second comprehensive win in the space of three days.

Chris Liddle had proved the inspiration at the Rose Bowl on Friday as he took a triple wicket maiden to inject life into a deflated Sussex side but everyone played his part at Hove today.

Surrey looked on course to set a target in excess of 200 after racing to 102-2 off the first ten overs but Sussex's bowlers responded magnificently and, coupled with some fine fielding, the Sharks restricted them to 164-8 on a good batting wicket.

The outcome never looked in doubt once Matt Prior joined Murray Goodwin at the crease in the third over with the score on 28-2 as the pair put on 117 together in 12 overs.

When Prior was eventually out for 56 Sussex needed only 20 more runs with more than five overs to get them. Goodwin ensured there were no slip-ups as he finished unbeaten on 79 to pass 300 runs for the competition this season.

It probably will not be enough to save them from an early exit from the competition but it at least silenced some of the critics who have been quick to jump on Sussex's back over the past two weeks and gave the 6,200 crowd something to cheer.

Robin Martin-Jenkins said: "We have played more like the Sussex people have come to know in the past two games.

"It is easy to get in a rut in this type of cricket because the games are coming so fast but hopefully we are out of that now and we can go on to win our last three games.

"It was inevitable people started asking questions about us after we had lost five games in a row but I think we have answered our critics in the past two games because we have comprehensively beaten two very good teams.

"Obviously it is still going to be difficult for us to go through but at least we are in a better position now than we were a couple of games ago."

That is some understatement. It is extremely doubtful whether the pre-Rose Bowl Sussex would have recovered from Alistair Brown's early blitz at Hove today and it just goes to show how much they have improved in the last two games.

Brown smashed four fours off James Kirtley's first over and went on to score 51 from just 21 balls before he was bowled by Dwayne Smith in the ninth over.

His innings should have laid the foundations for an intimidating total but instead Surrey imploded in much the same fashion as Sussex have done on a couple of occasions this season.

Mark Ramprakash was the first of three players to be run out and after he had gone only Usman Afzaal provided any resistance with 38 off 30 balls, including two big sixes, as Surrey added just 62 off the last ten overs.

Sussex made the worst possible start in reply with Chris Nash being caught behind for a duck off only the second ball but Goodwin once again showed what a class act he is in this form of cricket to put the Sharks on course for an easy win.

He scored an unbeaten 79 off just 46 balls and some of his magic obviously rubbed off on Matt Prior who almost doubled his previous tally of runs from five innings in the competition.

Prior eventually went trying one big shot too many but Goodwin was still there at the end and it was just a shame it was Michael Yardy and not him who hit the winning runs with 16 balls to spare.

Where you there? What was the difference against Surrey from previous Twenty20 performances this season?