Imam’s Century Propels Yorkshire to Victory Over Sussex

HOVE: A superb century from opener Imam-ul-Haq guided Yorkshire to a convincing six-wicket win against Sussex in the One-Day Cup match held at the County Ground on Sunday.

Sussex, after electing to bat first, scored 284-9 in their allotted 50 overs. Oli Carter’s aggressive innings of 94, which included seven boundaries and five sixes, was the highlight of their batting performance.

Captain John Simpson contributed a solid 65, while Danny Lamb’s rapid 53 and opener Charlie Tear’s 35 offered valuable support to the innings.

Matt Milnes was the standout performer for Yorkshire, claiming an impressive 7-38 in his 10 overs. Benjamin Cliff and Dom Bess each secured one wicket.

Yorkshire’s chase of 285 began poorly, with Adam Lyth dismissed early for just six runs, leaving the score at 11-1 in the fourth over.

However, Imam-ul-Haq and James Wharton stabilized the innings, forging a dominant 196-run partnership for the second wicket to take firm control of the match.

Imam, who has been in tremendous form, scored a fluent 106 from 105 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and three sixes, before being caught off Fynn Hudson-Prentice with the score at 207-2 in the 37th over.

Wharton also played a significant role, scoring 85 off 103 balls with eight boundaries before being removed by Sean Hunt.

Yorkshire successfully reached the target in 47.4 overs, aided by an unbroken 63-run partnership between Matthew Revis and George Hill.

Revis remained unbeaten on 39 from 31 balls, while Hill contributed 31 from 21 deliveries.

Imam’s consistent performance has been a key feature of Yorkshire’s campaign.

The left-handed batsman is currently the second-highest run-getter in the competition, amassing 513 runs in six games at an impressive average of 102.60 and a strike rate of 95.70, including three centuries and two half-centuries.

With this victory, Yorkshire has risen to the top of the points table, boasting six wins and a single defeat, accumulating 24 points with a net run rate of 1.962. Their next match is against Kent at Canterbury on August 26.