Delray Rawlins fell for a second first-ball duck for the second straight day as Sussex Sharks beat Middlesex by 31 runs in a Vitality Blast T20 match at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove yesterday. The victory secures a quarter-final match-up away to Durham on Friday.

Rawlins, who was dismissed first ball on Thursday against Gloucestershire in another T20 match which Sussex won by four wickets, came in to bat yesterday at the fall of Sussex’s second wicket on 185 in the 17th over. However, the left-hander failed again to make a contribution with the bat when he was caught off the bowling of James Fuller.

Fuller then removed captain Luke Wright two balls later to make it 186 for four.

Thanks to an opening stand of 79 in just 5.2 overs, between Wright and Philip Salt, Sussex had a good foundation, reaching 215 for five in front of a sold out home crowd. They then dismissed Middlesex for 184 in 19.4 overs.

Wright topped the batting with 74 off 48 balls with nine fours while Salt blasted eight fours and four sixes in his 25-ball knock of 66. Laurie Evans made a quick 36 from 27 balls.

Middlesex had threatened to pull down the Sussex total after a stand of 122 for the second wicket saw them bring up the hundred in just 7.3 overs.

However, Sussex pegged Middlesex by taking two wickets in the 15th over and two more in the 16th to have Middlesex wobbling at 166 for seven. Rawlins held one of those catches, dismissing James Fuller for that seventh wicket.

Chris Jordan ended the match by bowling Nathan Sowter and Tom Barber on successive balls.