Goodwin's wonderful knock secures trophy

From The Argus

Marvellous Murray Goodwin led Sussex to their first Pro40 League title for 26 years and declared: “That was my best one-day innings for the club.”

Sussex were heading for defeat when they slumped to 130-8 chasing a target of 227 in yesterday’s winner-takes-all showdown with Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Trent Bridge.

But Goodwin and Mohammad Sami smashed 99 off the last ten overs with Goodwin winning the game off the last ball when he hit Charlie Shreck over long on for six.

Goodwin said: “I’ve been fortunate to play some good one-day innings over the years but that is definitely the best.

“I didn’t think we would do it from the position we were in but we knew Mohammad could bat and he gave me great support. I just told him to watch the ball out of the hand, target the gaps and hit it as hard as he could – and that’s what he did.”

Sussex needed 16 runs off the last over and after both batsmen hit boundaries the equation got down to four off the final ball, although three would have been enough as a tie would have given the Sharks the title.

Goodwin added: “I was surprised that they bowled the last over with the short boundary, I was definitely happy about that. Fortunately, the last ball was in the gap, I swung from my bootlaces and luckily I middled it.”

The Pro40 title and its £44,000 prize money might be small beer compared to three Championships and a Lord’s final victory but try telling that to the champagne-soaked players and about 200 supporters who were still celebrating long after Adams had collected the trophy and confirmed he will be standing down at the end of the season.

Goodwin will rightly be lauded for his 87 off 64 balls, which included six fours and three sixes, but the support he received from Sami was crucial.

Sussex looked dead and buried in the 30th over after Nottinghamshire spinners Graeme Swann and Samit Patel had wrecked the middle order by taking three wickets apiece on a pitch offering plenty of turn.

Despite losing big guns Matt Prior and Luke Wright cheaply, the perfect ending to Adams’ reign was being written when he and his successor Mike Yardy, who made 53 off 51 balls, added 55 in ten overs.

But Sussex lost six wickets for 43 in 12 overs and although Goodwin survived the wreckage this particular repair job looked beyond even him.

Earlier, Patel had held Nottinghamshire’s innings together with 78 off 82 balls although he should not have got into double figures.

On eight, he mis-timed a pull off James Kirtley but Sami seemed to lose sight of the skyer in the sun, even though he was wearing a cap, and the ball dropped a yard in front of him. It was an expensive mistake but Sami more than made up for it.

Patel added 82 in 16 overs with Ashwell Prince and the Outlaws plundered 46 off the last five overs.

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