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Ashes hopeful Archer returns to form for Sussex in T20 Blast

Ashes hopeful Archer returns to form for Sussex in T20 Blast
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The England fast bowler returned from injury to take two for 21 for Sussex.

Jofra Archer returned from the break that followed his World Cup final heroics to take two wickets as Sussex tied with Surrey in a thrilling Vitality T20 Blast match at Hove.

The England fast bowler, who will hope to be named in the Ashes squad on Saturday, seemed to have recovered from a side strain and struck in his first over after Delray Rawlins took a stunning catch to dismiss Aaron Finch.

Archer completed his four hostile overs in three spells for just 21 runs and also included the wicket of Surrey's top scorer Ollie Pope.

In the Sussex innings, Luke Wright carried his team with an unbeaten 76 as Sussex slipped to 144 for eight.

Surrey looked to be on course for victory with 29 needed from five overs, but good bowling left the visitors needing 12 from the last over to win the match, and they just managed to scramble two for the final delivery to leave the scores level.

Kent maintained their lead at the top of the southern group after beating Essex by 22 runs at Canterbury.

Heino Kuhn was the pick of the Kent batsman with an unbeaten 55 as opener Daniel Bell-Drummond also hit 43, with the hosts reaching 175 for six from their 20 overs.

In reply, Essex lost Cameron Delport in only the third over and were always behind the required rate despite Ryan Ten Doeschate's unbeaten 58.

A Toby Roland-Jones hat-trick followed by a Stevie Eskinazi half-century guided Middlesex to an eight-wicket win over bottom side Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens.

Glamorgan got off to the worst possible start after being but in to bat when Fakhar Zaman was caught on his debut as his side slipped to 136 all out before Middlesex chased down the modest total comfortably.

Liam Livingstone put an on an expert bowling display as unbeaten Lancashire beat Blast champions Worcestershire by 21 runs on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern at Emirates Old Trafford.

The Lancashire bowler took three for 21 from four overs, restricting Worcestershire to 120 for nine. Livingstone then hit 21 from 14 in reply as the home side reached 71 for one after nine overs to win the game.

Babar Azam marked his Somerset debut with an extraordinary innings of 95 but it was not enough as a late Hampshire rally, inspired by Liam Dawson's unbeaten 47, inspired an unlikely four-wicket win with three balls left at Taunton.

Hampshire struggled to 96 for four in reply after 14 overs before a late onslaught from Dawson and James Fuller, who scored 28 from 12 balls, pulled off an improbably victory with a six in the final over.

Leicestershire slumped to a third consecutive defeat as Durham raced to a nine-wicket victory in under 12 overs at the County Ground.

Durham were powered by some strong hitting by Scott Steel who raced to 50 from 19 balls, eventually reaching 70, as his side chased down Leicestershire's total of 158 for the loss of one wicket.

Alex Hales and Ben Duckett scored half-centuries and Harry Gurney took five wickets as Nottinghamshire won by 27 runs against Derbyshire.

Hales made 63 and Duckett 64 in a 92-run partnership in Nottinghamshire's 198 for five.

Gurney bowled superbly to claim his best T20 figures of five for 30 as Derbyshire could only manage 171 for eight.

Rob Keogh's career-best 59 helped Northamptonshire to a first win in this season's competition as they beat Birmingham by 21 runs.

With his side on 36 for three, Keogh helped them reach 155 for six before a revised target of 133 in 16 overs was set.

Birmingham struggled toΒ 111 for eight in reply from their 16 overs with only Sam Hain and Adam Hose scoring more than 20 runs.

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