Chris Jordan says home win will come for Sussex Sharks

But he would have loved to have been a match-winner at Hove yesterday as Sharks seek to regain consistency in the Vitality Blast.

Sussex went down by three wickets with three balls remaining in their latest home setback.

They looked on course to break their Hove duck when Jordan brilliantly held on to a boundary catch offered by Corey Anderson off Rashid Khan with 36 still needed from 20 balls.

The celebrations behind him in the Jointing Tech Stand suggested this was seen as a key moment in the defence of a score of 169-5, of which Laurie Evans made a competition career-best of 96.

But Roelof van der Merwe, who had earlier sent down four steady overs and held a pair of boundary catches, guided Somerset home with an undefeated 34 off 19 deliveries.

He scored 15 of the 16 runs plundered from a wayward 18th over by David Wiese to tip the balance Somerset’s way.

By the time Jordan took the ball for the final over, only five runs were needed.

At least this time the Hove faithful were given a thriller to enjoy. But still no win.

Jordan told The Argus: “It’s a tough one, you know? We really want to please the home crowd.

“We feel that is the most important thing and again the atmosphere was electric. Even going into that last over, they were right behind us.

“It is very inspiring to hear that support and to hear them right behind us.

“We just hope we can turn around our home form and give them something to smile about.

“We are working hard every day, there is nothing to doubt about that.

“Our first win at home is just around the corner.”

Somerset needed 30 from the last three overs and opted to attack Wiese.

Van der Merwe did that to great effect and the South African bowler let out a yell of anguish when a legside full-toss with his final delivery was deposited over the short boundary.

A four by Jamie Overton off the first ball of the 19th left Sussex on the brink but Jofra Archer tightened up after that.

Jordan forced a dot with the first ball of the final over, then caught the edge as van der Merwe drove outside off stump.

The diving Michael Burgess got a hand to the ball as he went to his right but it deflected off his glove and away for four to tie the scores.

Asked whether he thought he could still pull it off going into that over, Jordan said: “Yes, 100%. Those are the moments I live for.

“Those are the moments I love to be involved in.

“If you come out on the right end of them, it is a really good confidence boost for the team and to me personally.

“It wasn’t meant to be but the mindset and everything of the whole unit, if we keep that I don’t think we will be far off.”

As in the dramatic win at Lord’s on Thursday, Sussex did not leave themselves many bowling options as they chose batsman Delray Rawlins ahead of a specialist seamer.

Rawlins was one of the men who offered fleeting support to Evans in a Sussex innings which had a stop-start feel to it.

Having already hit ten fours and two sixes, Evans went to the big legside boundary off the penultimate delivery and saw van der Merwe hold on in front of the main scoreboard.

Burgess tonked the remaining ball high past Jerome Taylor for six but Somerset had done enough to rein in a Sussex order who were going at nine an over up the final third of their innings.

Evans, who tried to increase the tempo with two successive ramps over the keeper’s head at one stage, felt Sussex were below thir best with the bat.

He said: “It was difficult to assess what a par score was.

“The pitch had a bit more pace than some we’ve played on but we haven’t played on too many great wickets at Hove and haven’t won here yet, so that is something we need to put right in the last three games here.

“It suits our attack to have some pace on the ball but we’re not making excuses, the pitch is the same for both sides.”

Somerset were going along at nearly tens when, for the second successive home game, Rashid struck with his first delivery.

This time he induced a leading edge from Peter Trego, who looked to play to leg but instead looped the ball up to a running Evans near cover point.

James Hildreth sent Wiese for two big sixes into the pavilion in the 12th over as Somerset looked well set.

But Archer came back to york Tom Abell and Hildreth was stumped after being outwitted by Danny Briggs.

Rashid bowled Lewis Gregory and had 3-22 off 3.4 overs when Jordan held that Anderson steepler for what looked a crowning moment.

But van der Merwe hit his next ball for six and went on to steal the glory.