Magical Mushtaq steers Sussex to title

12 April 2012

Sussex clinched the Liverpool Victoria County Championship after another virtuoso display from Mushtaq Ahmed, who reached 100 wickets for the season in an innings victory over Nottinghamshire.

The Pakistani leg-spinner ended up with career-best figures of nine for 48 and a match haul of 13 for 108. The latter statistic is also the best of Mushtaq's illustrious Sussex career, inspiring victory by an innings and 245 runs over hapless Notts who were bowled out for 150 to go with 165 first time round.

Mushtaq - who took 103 wickets in Sussex's maiden title summer of 2003 - was responsible for the first six wickets to fall as Notts folded in notional pursuit of a highly remote 395 to make their opponents bat again.

It all meant Sussex wrapped up the championship for the second time in four years, leaving their nearest rivals Lancashire unable to change the situation against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

It also left their hosts in a precarious position with the outcome of their season resting on the result of Yorkshire's clash with Durham. Should the match at Headingley finish in a draw last season's county champions will suffer the ignominy of relegation to Division Two.

Lancashire were again frustrated by the rain as all but five overs of the third day's play were washed out. The visitors were in the driving seat at the start of the third day, 231 ahead of third-placed Hampshire.

Lancashire, eight for one in their second innings overnight, added a further five runs for the loss of Iain Sutcliffe who was bowled at 12 by pace bowler James Bruce. When heavy rain came down again, Lancashire were 13 for two, a lead of 236 with one day now remaining.

The umpires waited until 2.30pm before an inspection of the pools of water which had formed on the outfield gave them no alternative but to abandon play for the day.

At the other end of the table, Durham were still clinging to a lifeline which could preserve their Division One status when rain saw play abandoned early in the afternoon. Captain Dale Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson both hit centuries to take them beyond the 400 mark and earn the batting points that could see them stay up.

Shortly before 2pm rain came to the visitors' assistance by wiping out the remainder of the day's play with Durham on 411 for six off 105 overs. Benkenstein stood on 116 from 160 balls with 12 fours, while Gibson, having completed his first century for Durham and only the second first-class ton of his career, had reached a best-ever 104.

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