TWENTY20 CUP, SOUTH, Canterbury:
Kent 133-5 beat Sussex 132-7 by five wickets (Kent 2pts, Sussex 0pts)

Azhar Mahmood took two of his three wickets in the space of four balls

Sussex suffered a double blow as they slumped to another Twenty20 defeat to Kent and lost opening batsman Chris Nash to a freak boundary injury.

Nash collided with team-mate Dwayne Smith while trying to take a catch at Beckenham and was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg.

The game did not go Sussex's way either as Geraint Jones hit 56 out of 133-5 in the home side's five-wicket victory.

Earlier, Azhar Mahmood took 3-16 as Sussex managed only 132-7.

But home joy was diminished by the injury that led to a 15-minute hold-up in play while 26-year-old Nash was taken to hospital by ambulance.

In trying to take a catch in the deep off Kent match-winner Geraint Jones, Nash clashed with team-mate Dwayne Smith as the duo converged on the ball at long leg.

Smith caught the ball and, seeing the boundary ropes and the flying Nash out the corner of his eye, tossed the ball up hoping to catch it again, but the two fielders then collided and Nash came off the worse.

After the delay Jones went on to feature in a fourth-wicket stand worth 73 in eight overs with Martin van Jaarsveld (39) that assured Kent of their third win.

After a faltering start the Sussex innings never really gathered momentum, only former Kent favourite Yasir Arafat's late 43 in a stand of 58 in eight overs with his skipper Michael Yardy (26no) giving the visitors' score an air of respectability.

Kent now have the chance to test their unbeaten record against the only other unbeaten side in the South Division when they travel to take on Essex at Chelmsford on Monday night (1730 BST).

Sussex, who now anxiously await medical bulletins on the unlucky Nash, are also quickly back in action again with a home game against Middlesex on the same day (1730 BST).

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