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Ahmed steers Sharks to emphatic win

Mushtaq Ahmed turned in another sparkling bowling display as Sussex Sharks kept alive their hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the Twenty20 Cup for the first time.

Mushtaq Ahmed turned in another sparkling bowling display as Sussex Sharks kept alive their hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the Twenty20 Cup for the first time.

The former Pakistani Test leg-spinner snapped up three for 19 in three overs as Hampshire Hawks, chasing 100 to win in a match reduced to 12 overs a side, finished on 89 for six.

Hawks went down to their second defeat by 10 runs in steady rain before a crowd of 5,800 under the Hove floodlights.

They required 18 off the final over from James Kirtley, and could only manage to score seven, while losing the wickets of acting skipper Shaun Udal and opener Sean Ervine.

Zimbabwe all-rounder Ervine led his side's victory bid by hitting 46 from 36 balls, with six fours, before falling to the final delivery of the match.

Ervine shared in an opening stand of 33 in four overs with 18-year-old Mitchell Stokes (16), but Mushtaq struck in his first over by having Craig McMillan caught behind.

Mushtaq later pinned Greg Lamb in front, and also bowled Nic Pothas as he attempted to sweep.

In-form Matt Prior fired 42 from only 26 balls, with four boundaries, as Sussex earlier posted 99 for five.

Rain delayed the start for an hour, and Prior and Ian Ward got Sussex away to a lively start after they were put in.

The pair shared an opening stand of 53 in seven overs before Ward attempted to slog the first ball of Ervine's second over and was bowled.

Former Zimbabwe star Murray Goodwin fell five balls later to Ervine in identical fashion for a single, and Johan van der Wath's final Sussex appearance ended in disappointment as he later went for a duck.

South African-born van der Wath, who is being replaced by new overseas player Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, lost his off-stump attempting a big slog off spinner Udal.

Prior, who smashed Udal for a powerful boundary to mid-wicket, and also swept Richard Logan to the fence, looked set for his third Twenty20 half-century in four completed matches when he fell to McMillan.

Prior pulled McMillan to deep mid-wicket, and Sussex's chase for quick runs also saw skipper Chris Adams run out in the final over going for a second off Ervine.

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