Kent vs Sussex – T20 Blast 2026 Match Report | Statz
Kent won by 7 wickets (with 10 balls remaining) against Sussex in the 16th match of the T20 Blast 2026 at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury. It was a statement chase from the hosts, who powered to 199/3 with 10 balls to spare despite Sussex posting a formidable 197/6. Dian Forrester delivered one of the great all-round T20 performances – 3/25 with the ball and an unbeaten 35 off 18 with the bat – to leave Kent with two wins from two and their early-season campaign in strong shape.
First Innings – Sussex 197/6
Sussex won the toss and elected to bat, and Tom Clark made them look very smart for about seven overs. Clark was utterly destructive, smashing 79 off just 29 balls at a strike rate of 272, clearing the rope six times and finding the boundary nine more. It was one of the most explosive innings the Blast has seen this season.
Clark and Daniel Hughes (26 off 20) put on 98 for the first wicket before Clark fell at 7.1 overs with the score on 98. That dismissal changed everything. Hughes followed shortly after at 117 for 2, and then Sussex completely lost their way – John Simpson managed just 4 off 6 and Tom Alsop was gone for a duck, both caught, leaving Sussex 129/4 in the space of two overs. From 98/1 to 129/4 in four overs – the kind of collapse that turns a 220+ total into something very chaseable.
James Coles (28 off 26) and Jack Leaning (30 off 25) steadied things with a 44-run partnership, but neither could accelerate to the level Clark had set. Danny Lamb provided some late fireworks with an unbeaten 22 off 12 (two sixes), but 197/6 always felt 15-20 short of where they should have been after that opening salvo.
The bowling star was Forrester, who returned figures of 3/25 from his four overs at an economy of 6.25. He was the one who triggered the middle-order collapse, and Jake Lintott was tidy at the other end with 0/27 from four overs. Matt Milnes chipped in with 1/29, while Frederick Klaassen (1/51) and Bertie Foreman (1/25) took a wicket each. Joe Denly bowled a miserly single over for just 3 runs.
Second Innings – Kent 199/3
Kent’s chase was built on fearless batting from top to bottom. Tawanda Muyeye (26 off 15, SR 173) set the tone with some clean hitting before falling at 31/1. Daniel Bell-Drummond kept the momentum going with 29 off 19, including four boundaries and a six, but departed at 64/2 in the powerplay phase.
Enter Zak Crawley. The England batter played a stunning innings, finishing unbeaten on 75 off 41 balls with six sixes and three fours at a strike rate of 183. Crawley’s ability to clear the rope consistently took the pressure right off the chase. Sam Billings contributed 28 off 17 in a 55-run stand for the third wicket before falling at 119/3.
That brought Forrester to the crease, and he was in no mood to hang about. His 35 not out off 18 balls (four fours, two sixes, SR 194) carried Kent home with 10 balls to spare. An 80-run unbroken partnership between Crawley and Forrester finished the job with time in hand.
Danny Briggs was the best of the Sussex attack with 1/32 from four overs, while Henry Crocombe (1/31) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice (1/21) took the other wickets. Tymal Mills had a tough day, conceding 48 from 3.2 overs at an economy of 14.40.
Statz MVP – Dian Forrester
Dian Forrester earns the Statz MVP award with a match impact rating of 180.24. The South African all-rounder was devastating with the ball, taking 3/25 at an economy of 6.25 to break the back of Sussex’s innings, before hammering 35 not out off 18 to help finish the chase. The Statz rating calculates impact based on match context – and Forrester’s contributions came at the most decisive moments in both innings. A complete all-round display.
Top 5 Statz Ratings
- Dian Forrester (Kent) – 180.24 – 3/25 bowling plus 35* batting, complete all-round display
- Tom Clark (Sussex) – 133.79 – 79 off 29 at a strike rate of 272, a stunning innings in a losing cause
- Zak Crawley (Kent) – 88.39 – 75* off 41, anchored the chase with six sixes
- Danny Lamb (Sussex) – 52.66 – Unbeaten 22 off 12 to boost the Sussex total late on
- Danny Briggs (Sussex) – 48.55 – The tidiest of Sussex’s bowlers with 1/32 from four overs
Turning Point
Tom Clark’s dismissal at 98/1 in the 7th over. Before that, Sussex were tracking 230+. After Clark fell, the wheels came off spectacularly – Sussex collapsed from 98/1 to 129/4 in four overs. Forrester was at the heart of it, taking three wickets to ensure Sussex’s total never recovered from the loss of their talisman. What should have been a 220+ score became a gettable 197, and Kent’s batting lineup made them pay.
Match Context
Kent move to 6th in the T20 Blast standings with two wins from two matches and 8 points, carrying a net run rate of +1.167. Sussex drop to 8th after this defeat, sitting on 4 points from two games with a still-healthy NRR of +0.632. Northamptonshire, Surrey and Durham lead the table on 8 points apiece. It is early days – just 16 of 112 matches played – but Kent are building nicely. Two clinical chases in two games is the kind of form that carries through a campaign.
