Leicestershire’s Colin Ackermann shines with a century, boosting their chances of victory against Sussex in the County Championship
An Unlikely Victory for Leicestershire Beckons as Colin Ackermann Shines Again
In a thrilling County Championship encounter, Leicestershire’s promotion hopes have been reignited by an extraordinary unbeaten century from the talented batsman, Colin Ackermann. Ending day three at Hove with his team on 221-3, still requiring a challenging 278 runs to beat Sussex, this match is far from over.
The pitch at Hove has showcased its unpredictability after witnessing an avalanche of wickets in the first four sessions. Leicestershire’s dismal performance in their first innings resulted in them being bundled out for just 108 runs.
However, if they manage to deny Sussex a win that could propel their own promotion bid forward, it would be considered a remarkable achievement. The final day will see the new ball come into play after 16 overs; undoubtedly crucial in determining the outcome of this gripping contest.
Leicestershire can draw inspiration from their successful chase of 389 runs against Yorkshire earlier this season. On the other hand, Sussex are well aware of how much trouble Ackermann can cause at the County Ground – he had scored an unbeaten knock of 277 here last year.
Sussex set an imposing target of 499 runs after declaring their second innings on Day Three shortly after lunch when they reached a total of 344-9. They quickly struck blows to unsettle Leicestershire’s top order as Indian left-armer Jaydev Unadkat dismissed Sol Budinger in the fifth over, while Ari Karvelas had skipper Lewis Hill caught low down at third slip by Tom Clark to leave the visitors struggling at 16-2.
However, Rishi Patel and Ackermann joined forces to steady the ship for Leicestershire. The pair put on an impressive partnership of 92 runs in just 21 overs, displaying great resilience against Sussex’s bowling attack.
Karvelas managed a crucial breakthrough when he deceived Patel into mistiming a drive. Cheteshwar Pujara took a tumbling catch at mid-off; nevertheless, this would be Sussex’s final triumph of the day as Umar Amin partnered with Ackermann to build an unbeaten stand worth 113 runs so far.
Ackermann reached his third century of the summer season with a single off James Coles. In his innings spanning 155 balls, he struck an impressive tally of 16 fours.
Closing proceedings for the day was Henry Crocombe attempting short-pitched deliveries towards four fielders positioned closely together on the leg side. However, Amin relished this challenge and went on to reach his maiden fifty for Leicestershire – quite an achievement considering it is only his fourth appearance in Championship games this season.
As we approach Day Four, Ackermann stands just 48 runs away from reaching a remarkable milestone – crossing 1,000 runs for this season alone. It is important to note that Patel already achieved this feat during Leicestershire’s first innings when he contributed with a top score of 48 before being dismissed.
Sussex added another valuable chunk of runs – adding exactly 90 before declaring their second innings – ensuring they had ample time remaining and no need to take any unnecessary risks.
James Coles, with a well-deserved fifty under his belt, reached his fourth half-century of the season by smashing a six over long-on off Rehan Ahmed. He combined beautifully with Fynn Hudson-Prentice and added 58 runs before falling victim to Tom Scriven’s perseverance as the latter finished with impressive figures of 4 for 55.