Sussex 302 for 4 (Pujara 99*, Coles 74, Alsop 67) vs Gloucestershire

A trademark defensive masterclass from captain Cheteshwar Pujara batted Sussex into a promising position on the second day of the rain-affected LV= County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.

After a delayed start at 1.50pm due to a saturated outfield, the visitors took their first innings total from 47 for 1 to 302 for 4, India Test star Pujara leading the way with 99 not out, one short of his 58th first-class century, while Tom Alsop contributed 67 and James Coles a career-best 74.

Zafar Gohar was the most successful Gloucestershire bowler with 2 for 67. But even his efforts on a docile surface could not unsettle the patient Pujara, who by the close had faced 190 balls and hit 13 fours and a six.

Warm sunshine and a drying breeze dispelled fears of a second day washout after only 16 overs had been possible on day one before persistent heavy rain left standing water on an already wet outfield.

Umpires Billy Taylor and Mark Newell decided play could resume after inspections at 11am, 12.30pm and 1.20pm. Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren opted to open the bowling with left-arm spinner Gohar and it paid quick dividends.

Ali Orr, having added five to his overnight score of 31, went to reverse sweep the first ball of the third over and only succeeded in top-edging a gentle catch to wicketkeeper James Bracey, making the score 58 for 2.

Having advanced from 11 to 34, Alsop survived a sharp chance to Miles Hammond at gully off Marchant de Lange, the ball stinging the tips of the fielder's fingers on the way to the third-man boundary. It was all the good fortune the Sussex left-hander needed to progress to fifty, off 123 balls, with 6 fours, out of a total of 111 for 2.

Ominously for Gloucestershire, Pujara looked to be setting his stall out for a long innings from the moment he took strike. The experienced India Test batter exercised great caution, particularly against the accurate de Lange, who had figures of 1 for 17 after 11 overs, four of them maidens.

Pujara took 78 balls to reach 19, but then cut loose with a pulled four off de Lange and a square cut boundary off Gohar. By tea, which was taken at 4pm, Sussex had made 138 for 2 from 49 overs, with Alsop on 63 and Pujara on 28. The visitors were clearly intent on only batting once in a match already heavily curtailed by the weather.

The final session began with Ajeet Dale going past the inside edge of Alsop's bat, the ball swinging late and beating Bracey to add four byes to the total. Dale troubled both batsmen from the Ashley Down Road End, working up decent pace on the slow pitch, and got his reward when Alsop edged a defensive shot to first slip where Chris Dent held the catch into his midriff.

At 158 for 3, Sussex needed to rebuild. But by then Pujara had moved on to 40 off 108 deliveries and looked well set. He was joined by a player more than 16 years his junior in England Under-19 international Coles.

With the Seat Unique Stadium bathed in sunshine, Pujara moved to his half-century, having batted for almost exactly three hours and hit eight fours. He celebrated with a glorious driven boundary through extra cover off van Buuren, an indication of the fund of attacking shots in his locker when he chooses to unleash them, while Coles looked untroubled in sharing a century stand in 24 overs.

The nearest Pujara came to getting out was an inside edge past his leg stump off Gofar. He responded by cutting two boundaries off the left-arm spinner's next over.

Gloucestershire took the second new ball after 80 overs, with the scoreboard reading 258 for 3. But it made no impact as Coles reached a fluent and chanceless fifty off 85 balls, with six fours. The 19-year-old fell in the final over of the day, stumped moving down the pitch to Gohar in an effort to give Pujara the strike.

The Indian maestro is unlikely to lose any sleep over being on 99 and will look to add significantly more on day three.

Cheteshwar Pujaras 99* leads line as Sussex bid to bat big

2023-04-28 18:15:33