Lewis McManus waits for Laurie Evans to step out of the crease (Screengrab: Vitality T20 Blast/Twitter)Hampshire wicketkeeper Lewis McManus deceived Sussex batsman Laurie Evans with his wicketkeeping skills to pull off an MS Dhoni-like run out on Wednesday in the T20 Blast tournament.
The dismissal took place in the 10th over of the first innings. Evans was beaten by leg spinner Mason Crane who extracted extra bounce from the pitch and the ball went to McManus. The 31-year-old batsman had no idea where the ball was and McManus waited with the ball in his right glove for the batsman to step out of the crease before knocking off the bails.
WOW WOW WOW
Ever seen a dismissal like this before?#Blast19 https://t.co/zWm7G01r7a pic.twitter.com/fe1WJxXpuE
— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) July 24, 2019
Evans was baffled by the dismissal. He scored 15 runs from 12 deliveries before getting out.
Despite the loss of the wicket, Sussex continued to dominate over Hampshire bowlers. Opener Philip Salt top-scored for Sussex with 73 runs from 46 deliveries. David Wiese’s unbeaten 44 and Rashid Khan‘s 7-ball 22 cameo helped Sussex post 188/6 in the first innings.
Outrageous hitting from @rashidkhan_19 to help Sussex win
https://t.co/sTaav47qSq#Blast19 pic.twitter.com/TUp3wmuUyx
— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) July 25, 2019
Hampshire struggled early in the innings as they were reduced to three for 18 within three overs. James Vince and Sam Northeast got out for ducks as Reece Topley dominated in the powerplay overs with the new ball. Opener Rilee Rossouw kept the run chase alive but wickets kept falling at the other end. They were reduced to six for 91 in the 12th over and then Rossouw had to retire hurt after taking a nasty blow to the head.
McManus tried to revive the Hampshire run chase with some big-hitting towards the end, but he was dismissed in the 17th over. He scored 32 runs from 15 balls, including one four and three sixes. Rossouw’s return to the pitch did not help and was dismissed after scoring 60 off 38 deliveries. In the end, Hampshire were bundled out for 174, losing the match by 14 runs and with an over to go.
