Vitality Blast 2025: 3 Reasons Why Sussex Collapsed Against Somerset

From a spark to a sizzle. Under the lights at Hove, it looked as though Sussex had its hand—or at the very least, enough of its fingers—wrapped around this Vitality Blast South Group clash against Somerset, or at least enough to have Somerset sweating. John Simpson was caressing the ball through covers like he was contemplating a masterpiece in the moonlight; at 92/3 in the 11th over, the crowd could almost taste a total of 180. But after their innings wheezed to a total of 166/8, that optimism had fallen away into the collective shrug of “meh. Let’s see where it all went south for Sussex.

Middle-Order Meltdown Crushed the Momentum

Sussex’s middle order became jittery right when the launch pad was in place. Simpson and Alsop blasted a 63-run partnership, and when Simpson was dismissed in the 16th over, it was not just like the wheels came off; they flew into the stands. Simpson’s exit created a mini-collapse, from 133/4 to 147/7 in just 18 balls.

Tom Clark’s 21 off 22 was the most stuck-in-traffic T20 knock you’re gonna get, and the learning batters in the lower order had no idea how to adapt when the situation called for it against a Somerset attack that wasn’t even at its scariest – Meredith went for 39 and Gregory went for 40. Sussex could not find fifth gear when it mattered the most. Sussex was gifted a total of 20 extras that they did not deserve to have, but that they took.

Kohler-Cadmore’s Knock Turned the Match on Its Head

Now comes Tom Kohler-Cadmore with a bat that could have been Excalibur. His 64 off 43 was not just clinical, it was cold-blooded. After Will Smeed went first-up, Kohler-Cadmore took the wheel and floored it. His timing was wickedly perfect; dispatching seamers and spinners, including three sixes, that barely rose above eye level. He put Somerset from nervy to cruise control and eased Tom Abell into the game with a comfortable 36 off 25.

The chase? More like a guided tour—smooth, scenic, and stress-free. Mills and Carson may have each claimed a wicket, but Sussex’s bowling attack never really looked convinced. And when Kohler-Cadmore went with the job nearly complete, Rew’s 17* finished it in all the time it takes to read a bedtime story.

Sussex’s Bowling Had No Bite, No Belief

Then we have the elephant in the dugout—Sussex’s bowling lacked both teeth and bite and even the menacing glare from the top. Let’s be straight to the point; you are not defending 166 with an economy of 11 from your frontline seamer (McAndrew), 11.66 from your new-ball man (Robinson), and not even a full over of anything we could consider control until Jack Carson dropped into second gear.

Tymal Mills, normally the pressure valve at the death, looked as if he bowled with a football. The fielding was also scarily quiet—no real notable dive, no real miss-field, not even a difficult chance dropped to mention—just a sort of passive capitulation; the cricketing equivalent, if you like, of a white flag, being raised on a blustery evening.

Ultimately, it was death by accumulation. While Sussex had the chance to press, when they needed accuracy, they got panic. When they needed tight lines, they got freebies. And when they needed something special, they got Meredith bowling like someone who was trying to ensure no one noticed. Somerset’s chase was tidy, efficient, and curiously lacking in nerves. Sussex were not humiliated but outclassed in every aspect.