TOM ALSOP scored a brilliant half-century against Kent Spitfires to help Sussex to get their T20 Blast campaign underway after defeats to Glamorgan and Gloucestershire.
Alsop made his debut in the competition after signing on loan from Hampshire in March. The wicketkeeper-batsman was not even originally meant to be starting the match.
He told the media: “I think Wardy (Harrison Ward) picked up a little bit of a knock after the Gloucester game and fitness test this morning so it was a shame for him, he’s been going well but yeah I was fresh and happy that I did come in.”
The loanee looked like what Sussex had been missing in the first two games, as he really picked up the pace of the innings and helped his side to win by four runs.
Alsop took a few balls to get his eye in and then set upon dismantling the Kent bowling attack, he said: “You have to give yourself a bit of time but not too much in T20.
“This is just one of those formats where its either your day or its not and today it was.”
Sussex head to Taunton to face Somerset on Wednesday needing another win to build momentum and Alsop is confident of one victory sparking a flurry of wins.
Alsop said: “Yeah hopefully, like I said T20 cricket is all about momentum, it only takes like one win, a knock or a spell of bowling for someone to carry that rhythm and momentum into the next game.”
The former England Lions player was sent on loan to Sussex from Hampshire after he fell down the pecking order following the signings of Nick Gubbins and former Sussex captain Ben Brown.
The former Hampshire player is enjoying his time with the Sharks, he said: “From day one, I just felt nothing but love and welcome here, so I’ve enjoyed every second of it and the guys are great, the coaches are brilliant.”
Alsop has starred in a struggling Sussex championship team, scoring a hundred recently against Middlesex, along with a half-century in the same game and a half-century the week before against Durham.
The wicketkeeper-batsman is feeling upbeat about his sides recent performances in the County Championship despite the results.
He said: “I think obviously with the Championship stuff we are nearly there, we’ve played a lot of cricket games where we’ve bossed for three of the four days and I think the guys all there know it’s just around the corner.”
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Sussex Sharks reached finals day of the 2021 T20 Blast before losing out to the eventual winners and the team they defeated today, Kent Spitfires.
Batter Phil Salt joined Lancashire and Chris Jordan signed for Surrey leaving a big hole in the squad. However, Alsop is still confident in the side reaching similar heights.
He said: “The guys are still really confident, very positive. We’ve seen historically Sussex have a fantastic T20 side, there’s a lot of people in that team and squad who have won a lot of T20 cricket in various experiences of the format.”
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