Billy Root holds Glamorgan together as Sussex enjoy strong start in Cardiff
Nathan McAndrew leads way with ball before top three lay platform
ECB Reporters Network
25-Jun-2023
Billy Root acknowledges his half-century • Getty Images
Sussex 65 for 1 trail Glamorgan 242 (Root 66, McAndrew 4-58) by 177 runs
Billy Root's 66 was the mainstay of the Glamorgan first innings against Sussex, helping to lift the home side to a first-innings total of 242. Sussex's Australian allrounder Nathan McAndrew took 4 for 58, offspinner Jack Carson 3 for 45, as they took regular wickets to peg back the Welsh County's hopes of a recovery after slipping to 60 for 4.
Sussex were able to ram home the advantage after a good day with the ball to reach 65 for 1 at the close, just 177 behind, for the loss of opener Tom Haines.
Glamorgan would have hoped for a better return after winning the toss and opting to bat on another sunny day in Cardiff. Andrew Salter, Sam Northeast, Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke all got starts, while Zain-ul-Hassan and Thomas Bevan both went cheaply early, leaving Glamorgan four down at lunch with Carlson going shortly afterwards.
Sussex's overseas duo McAndrew and New Zealander Henry Shipley did most of the early damage, with Root holding the middle order together on his way to a half-century. He had promising partnerships with Carlson and Cooke, with an interesting debate about whether the regular fall of wickets was caused by bad batting, a two-paced pitch or the Kookaburra ball being used in this game.
Root was chanceless to his total of 66 when he gave Jack Carson the charge for the first time, despite having seen the ball turn prodigiously on occasion. Bowler Timm van der Gugten has been scoring freely with the bat this season, and he continued that fine run of form as partners came and went.
Australian Mitchell Swepson made the briefest of debuts with the bat, and when Jamie McIlroy was caught down the leg side off McAndrew, van der Gugten was left stranded short of a half-century and Glamorgan short of a batting point.
It was van der Gugten who made the early breakthrough with the ball as well, pinning Haines lbw on the back foot to give Glamorgan some early hope. However, Toms Clark and Alsop made decent progress for the visitors and soon the seamers gave way for the first sighting of Swepson's legspin in Glamorgan whites.
He could have taken a wicket when Clark gloved a googly to slip Northeast, but a sharp chance was put down.
