Following their 2-2 draw with Real Betis, former player Stan Collymore has named one Nottingham Forest star who he believes is “finally” living up to the hype.

Ange "disappointed" by Real Betis draw

After falling a goal behind courtesy of Cedric Bakambu’s impressive finish inside 15 minutes, Nottingham Forest arguably played the best football of Ange Postecoglou’s young tenure. The Midlands club soon equalised through summer signing Igor Jesus, who then found his brace to flip the game on its head.

From there, it was Forest’s to lose and they should have extended their lead before the break. Ultimately, however, they left the door ajar for Antony to find a late equaliser for the hosts. In the end, the Tricky Trees were forced to settle for a “disappointing” draw, according to Postecoglou.

Even after making it four wins without a victory as Forest boss, however, there were positives for Postecoglou to take. The first-half display was particularly dominant and Elliot Anderson once again stood out in the middle of the park.

Worse call than Luiz: Ange got it so wrong with 6/10 Nottingham Forest man

Nottingham Forest secured a 2-2 draw with Real Betis in their first European game in 30 years.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 25, 2025

Both the England international and another midfield star received high praise from former Nottingham Forest player Collymore after the game.

Collymore: Sangare "finally" living up to hype

After spending most of last season sidelined through injury, it was important for Ibrahim Sangare to make his mark under Postecoglou and that’s exactly what he’s doing. According to Collymore, Sangare is “finally” living up to the hype after an “incredibly effective” display against Real Betis in the Europa League.

The numbers paint a similar picture about the midfielder. Against Betis, Sangare won two out of three ground duels, was dribbled past just once, and made three recoveries. It was a display that Postecoglou will expect to see from his defensive midfielder every week.

It’s also worth noting the impact that Douglas Luiz has also had and how that may have played a part in Sangare’s revival. The former Aston Villa man was in full control when he was on the pitch and often acted as the conductor for wave after wave of Forest attacks.

MI made two changes with a niggle ruling out Mitchell Santner

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20252:50

Morrison: ‘MI are ticking all the boxes at the right time’

Toss Rishabh Pant won the toss and put Mumbai Indians into bat with the hope that the pitch would get better in the second innings. Mayank Yadav is set to make his first appearance in IPL 2025 after missing the first half of the season due to a back injury. He replaced Shardul Thakur, who took one wicket in the last three games.Mayank made a name for himself last season with his ability to hit the 150kph mark consistently. He played four games and picked up seven wickets before injury ruled him out of the tournament.Mumbai Indians, who are coming on the back of four consecutive wins, made two changes. Corbin Bosch made his IPL debut as Mitchell Santner missed out due to a niggle in his finger. Karn Sharma replaced Vignesh Puthur, who bowled just one over in MI’s last game. Jasprit Bumrah is part of the Impact Players list and is likely to replace Rohit Sharma for the second innings.The heat in Mumbai was another factor that could play a part in the first day game at the venue this season. Pant said the ball might stop a bit during the day. MI captain Hardik Pandya also wanted to bowl but hoped that the players could draw upon the experience of playing in the heat as kids to cope with it.Mumbai Indians: 1 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Will Jacks, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Naman Dhir, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Karn SharmaMI Impact Player options: Jasprit Bumrah, Raj Bawa, Reece Topley, Robin Minz, Satyanarayana RajuLucknow Super Giants XI: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Mayank Yadav, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Digvesh Rathi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Prince YadavLSG Impact Player options: David Miller, Yuvraj Choudhary, Shahbaz Ahmed, Himmat Singh, Akash Singh

After a couple of handy knocks since joining CSK this season, Ayush Mhatre took his game up a few notches against RCB on Saturday, smashing 94 from 48 balls

Ashish Pant04-May-20251:11

What makes Ayush Mhatre so effective?

Ayush Mhatre is all of 17 years and 292 days, but already has the makings of a top-drawer T20 cricketer. He looks pleasing to the eye, has shots all around the park, and the power game required for a modern-day T20 batter. But what impressed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming the most about Mhatre is the temperament and the composure he displayed at the trials and how he has backed it up at IPL 2025.”He’s got talent. He’s got hand-eye coordination. He’s got a beautiful, silky swing. He’s aggressive. Everything that we like about a modern-day T20 player,” Fleming said about Mhatre at the press conference after CSK lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday night. “But, to me, it’s the temperament and being able to execute in a trial and then on the big stage. That’s what I’m most impressed with.”It’s one thing to have a lot of shots, but to be able to execute that game plan on a big stage in front of some of the biggest players in the world is what I admire.”Related

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Ayush Mhatre's big night out in the IPL

In a season where very little has gone CSK’s way, Mhatre has been one of the few positives. He came into the team as a replacement for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was ruled out five games into the season with an elbow injury. Mhatre’s season debut was also his T20 debut, in the game against Mumbai Indians (MI). He scored a 15-ball 32 in his first match, followed by a 19-ball 30 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).On Saturday, he moved his game up a couple of gears and smashed a 48-ball 94 against RCB, becoming the third-youngest player to score a fifty in the IPL. While his innings did not result in a CSK win, it’s ensured the franchise had a player for the future.”It’s sometimes hard to explain, but there’s just a quality around what he was doing,” Fleming said about Mhatre’s selection as Gaikwad’s replacement. “It’s early days, but we have been very impressed with his skills right from when he trialled and was with us at the early part of the season.

“He was very comfortable right from day one and the team was very comfortable with him. Hopefully, it’s the start of a long relationship”Stephen Fleming on Ayush Mhatre

“We have enjoyed a lot of the shot play from young players in this tournament and we’re delighted that we’ve got one ourselves. So, yes, excited about the future for him.”Despite being with CSK only for the last month or so and despite his young age, Mhatre has fitted into the team well.”We have a pretty relaxed camp, which has always been our style. He has some team-mates [from Mumbai] on the side. [Shivam] Dube, is one that has seen a fair bit of him,” Fleming said. “Again, it comes back to his maturity. He fitted in seamlessly. It’s often not what the team around him does, but it’s just the way that he behaves.”He was very comfortable right from day one and the team was very comfortable with him. Hopefully, it’s the start of a long relationship.”Ayush Mhatre took 26 runs in an over off Bhuvneshwar Kumar•Getty ImagesIn just this last week, IPL 2025 has had two teenagers rip into bowlers of international repute. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14, had on Monday become the youngest centurion in men’s T20s, while Mhatre fell six short of a century on Saturday. While being fearless is one thing, Fleming has been impressed by the skills that these teenagers possess, and also a little worried for some of the Under-19 opponents these two will come up against in the near future.”It’s amazing, really,” Fleming said. “It’s extraordinary to watch that fearless approach. But you’ve got to have skills as well. And to have the skills that these young players have and to be able to execute them against some of the best bowlers in the world is quite remarkable.”It doesn’t matter whether you’re 14, 18, 21. The innings that we’ve seen being played, particularly by these two youngsters, is just top class. It shows maturity beyond their years, but it shows a skill set that is quite daunting, I think, particularly for bowlers around the world.”I worry a little bit about the Under-19 opposition. They’ll come up against two pretty handy openers when a World Cup comes around. But it’s amazing how much talent and how composed they are.”

It doesn’t take much for the mood to change in football, and Arsenal are the perfect example of that.

Just a few days ago, there was a real sense of optimism around the club following big wins over Nottingham Forest and Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League.

However, their performance against Manchester City left a lot to be desired, and were it not for a late equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli, the Gunners would have lost their second Premier League game of the season.

It was a game to forget for much of the Arsenal team, and while Mikel Merino has received plenty of criticism, there is another star that Mikel Arteta should consider dropping for the game this week.

The Arsenal players who underwhelmed vs City

Now it is important to clarify that few, if any, Arsenal players were genuinely terrible yesterday.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

After all, while the result was hugely disappointing, the Gunners would not have earned a point against a team like City if they played terribly.

With that said, there were more than a handful of starters who underwhelmed in a big way, like Leandro Trossard.

The Belgian did little to dispel the idea of him being a better impact player than starter, as in 84 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.15, failed to complete a single cross, didn’t register a shot on target and was accurate with just 78% of his passes.

Someone who had some pretty impressive numbers for the game, but made one consequential mistake, was Gabriel Magalhães.

The Brazilian stalwart found himself far too high up the pitch and mistimed a tackle in the lead-up to Erling Haaland’s opener, which meant he had no chance of catching the Norwegian.

Finally, it was another outing that showed a midfield of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and Merino does not work.

Minutes

45′

Expected Goals

0.00

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.03

Assists

0

Passes

18/20

Crosses

0

Long Balls (Accurate)

1 (0)

Shots on Target

0

Aerial Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Lost Possession

6

The latter was particularly ineffective, completing 18 passes, failing to complete a long ball or cross, losing 100% of his aerial duels, losing the ball six times and generally being more of a hindrance to build up than any sort of help in defence.

It was a game to forget for all of these starters, but there is another who was at the very least just as bad and should therefore be dropped from the team this week.

The Arsenal star Arteta should drop

When it comes to arguably the most ineffective player on the pitch for Arsenal yesterday, it probably won’t surprise many of you that we’re talking about Viktor Gyokeres.

Now, before the pitchforks come out, the Swedish international has had a couple of good games for the club, such as Leeds United and Forest, but yesterday was not one of those.

The former Sporting CP superstar was anonymous for pretty much the entire encounter, as while he held the ball up relatively well at points, he offered little to no threat.

Now, there is an argument to be made that the rest of the team didn’t create enough chances for him; it could also be said that the best strikers help create their own chances.

It might sound like a harsh appraisal, but we aren’t the only ones who were disappointed by his performance.

For example, The Standard’s Simon Collings awarded him a 5/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘could not make an impact.’

Unsurprisingly, his statistics more than back this up, as in his 97 minutes of inaction, the Stockholm-born poacher didn’t take a single shot on target, took just 22 touches, completed six passes, lost 100% of his ground duels, lost the ball 13 times and failed in 100% of his dribbles.

In short, it was a poor showing from the man who is supposed to spearhead this Arsenal side to Premier League glory.

Therefore, Arteta should take him out of the firing line for the game against Port Vale tomorrow night, give him time to rest, and hopefully, he can come back into the side next week rejuvenated and ready to show the fans what he can do.

Gary Neville reveals the only two things you need to get a result v Arsenal

The Sky Sports pundit wasn’t impressed with the Gunners’ performance in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

ByDominic Lund Sep 22, 2025

Kent fight back with unbeaten century for Ben Compton and Daniel Bell-Drummond’s fifty

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-May-2025

Caleb Jewell and Wayne Madsen achieved personal milestones to drive Derbyshire to a record-breaking score before Kent fought back on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match at Derby.Australian opener Jewell made a career-best 232 from 361 balls out of 587 for 5 declared, Derbyshire’s highest ever total against Kent.Madsen scored 100, the Derbyshire captain’s 40th first-class century for the county, out of a third-wicket stand of 176 with Jewell before Luis Reece plundered an unbeaten half-centuryThe Kent bowling figures made for sorry reading with leg-spinner Matt Parkinson becoming the first to concede 200 runs in an innings against Derbyshire, eclipsing a record which had stood for 121 years.Derbyshire’s bowlers also struggled as Ben Compton with an unbeaten 105 and 61 from Daniel Bell-Drummond helped Kent to 210 for 3 at stumps, still 377 behind.After Jewell had sparkled in the sunshine on day one, it was more of the same despite contrasting conditions on an overcast and breezy morning.Any hopes Kent had of making inroads with a relatively new ball under grey clouds quickly faded as Jewell and Madsen did pretty much as they pleased.Kent lost fast bowler Jake Ball who was forced to leave the field with an injury nine overs into the session and there was more frustration when Grant Stewart had a good shout for lbw against Jewell on 164 turned down.After Madsen lofted Parkinson for four to secure a fourth batting point, Jewell drove the leg spinner for six to move to within two runs of his double century which he reached with a scampered single to mid off.In the same over, Madsen completed his second hundred of the season before he drove Leaning into the hands of long on.Parkinson beat Brooke Guest’s drive but it was easily Derbyshire’s morning with 131 runs scored in 30 overs and there was more to come.Jewell passed his previous best of 227 for Tasmania against Western Australia but five runs later he tried to swing Leaning over mid wicket and was bowled, bringing to an end the highest score by a Derbyshire batsman against Kent.There was still no respite for a weary attack as Reece motored to a 46 ball 50 and Martin Andersson cleared the ropes four times before the declaration came four runs after Derbyshire had passed their previous biggest total against Kent of 583- 4 at Derby in September 2009.Not surprisingly there were some bruised bowling figures with Parkinson’s analysis of 1 for 204 from 46 overs the most expensive against Derbyshire since Bill Reeves conceded 192 for Essex at Chesterfield in 1904.Derbyshire also discovered there was little margin for error despite taking the early wicket of Joe Denly who was playing his first innings of the season after recovering from a broken arm.Denly was lured into aiming a big drive at Zak Chappell and the edge flew to second slip where Madsen pouched a waist high catch.Compton and Bell-Drummond responded with a stand of 125 balls from 179 balls and although Anuj Dal tempted the Kent skipper and Tawanda Muyeye into loose strokes, Compton completed a fine century from 151 balls by cutting Chappell for his 13th four.

يستعد فريق ريال مدريد لكرة القدم، بقيادة المدرب تشابي ألونسو، لخوض العديد من المباريات خلال شهر نوفمبر عام 2025، وذلك في مختلف البطولات التي يشارك بها.

ويحتل ريال مدريد حاليًا صدارة جدول الدوري الإسباني برصيد 27 نقطة، بفارق 5 نقاط عن برشلونة صاحب المركز الثاني.

اقرأ أيضًا | مواعيد مباريات برشلونة في شهر نوفمبر 2025.. اختبارات صعبة

كما يحتل ريال مدريد المركز الخامس في جدول دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري، برصيد 9 نقاط، العلامة الكاملة بعدما فاز في مبارياته الثلاثة الماضية. مواعيد مباريات ريال مدريد في شهر نوفمبر 2025

ريال مدريد وفالنسيا، الجولة الحادية عشر من الدوري الإسباني، يوم السبت 1 نوفمبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية.

ليفربول وريال مدريد، الجولة الرابعة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، يوم الثلاثاء 4 نوفمبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية.

رايو فاليكانو وريال مدريد، الجولة الثانية عشر من الدوري الإسباني، يوم الأحد 9 نوفمبر 2025، 5:15 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 6:15 بتوقيت السعودية.

إلتشي وريال مدريد، الجولة الثالثة عشر من الدوري الإسباني، يوم الأحد 23 نوفمبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية.

أولمبياكوس وريال مدريد، الجولة الخامسة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، يوم الأربعاء 26 نوفمبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية.

جيرونا وريال مدريد، الجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري الإسباني، يوم الأحد 30 نوفمبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية.

Nottingham Forest took the decision to sack Ange Postecoglou on Saturday afternoon. Forest fell to a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea to extend their winless run to 10 matches. Postecoglou was only in charge for eight games having replaced Nuno last month and reports suggest that the Tricky Trees are eyeing a former Manchester City boss to succeed the Australian.

AFPPostecoglou struggled in second Premier League job

Forest acted quickly to replace Nuno Espirito Santo last month after the Portuguese boss was relieved of his duties during the September international break. Nuno worked wonders to guide Forest away from danger having succeeded Steve Cooper in December 2023 before delivering a European finish last season.

However, a breakdown in communications between Nuno, owner Evangelos Marinakis and newly-appointed Global Head of Football, Edu, saw the former Wolves and Tottenham boss shown the City Ground exit. Forest acted swiftly to replace Nuno with Postecoglou quickly appointed his successor.

The Australian had been out of work since his Tottenham departure back in June as the north London side opted to axe big Ange despite masterminding a Europa League triumph, ending Spurs' 17-year wait for silverware.

Postecoglou wasn't a popular appointment in the Midlands as Forest lost six of their eight matches under the 60-year-old, which included home defeats to Sunderland and FC Midtjylland in the Premier League and Europa League, respectively, and was subjected to chants of "sacked in the morning" in the 3-2 reverse against the Danish side.

AdvertisementAFPNottingham Forest eye ex-City boss

"Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that after a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect," a statement read on the club's official website. "The Club will make no further comment at this time."

And Forest are looking to make a quick appointment once more with the Athletic reporting that former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has been earmarked as a successor for Postecoglou. The Italian has been out of work since October 2024 after leaving his role as head coach of Saudi Arabia.

Mancini, who guided City to the Premier League title in 2012 and Italy to Euro 2020 glory at England's expense, has also managed in homeland Italy, Turkey and Russia.

Dyche still an option for Tricky Trees

Sean Dyche also remains an option for Forest following reports the former Everton boss was identified as a Postecoglou replacement over the international break. Like Mancini, Dyche is also out of work having left his role as Toffees head coach at the start of the year.

The 54-year-old was recently linked with the vacant Rangers job but ruled himself out of the running as he prioritised a Premier League return. However, it now remains to be seen whether Dyche, who has held talks with Forest, will take over at the City Ground.

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New Forest boss has work cut out

The new man at the City Ground helm will have their work cut out, however. Forest have now dropped to 18th in the Premier League after Saturday's 3-0 loss to Chelsea, while Burnley's 2-0 win over Leeds saw the Clarets leapfrog the Midlands side out of the relegation zone.

Next up for Forest is Thursday's welcome of FC Porto in the Europa League, a competition they are winless in having followed up their 2-2 draw at Real Betis with a 3-2 home defeat to FC Midtjylland. Porto are unbeaten in all competitions this season, but did see a winning start to the campaign end prior to the international break as they drew 0-0 with Jose Mourinho's Benfica.

New Porto boss Francesco Farioli has overseen back-to-back wins in European competition as they beat Salzburg in Austria before securing a 2-1 win over FK Crvena Zvezda on home turf earlier this month. Thursday's Europa League tie will mark the first time Forest and Porto have met in their respective history with the Premier League side hoping for a new manager bounce as they look to rescue a doomed campaign. 

Forest then return to league duties next weekend with a testing trip to Bournemouth as they aim to secure a first league win since the opening weekend of the season. The Cherries were twice pegged back by Crystal Palace on Saturday as a late Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty earned the Eagles a point in an entertaining 3-3 draw at Selhurst Park.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras se classificou para a semifinal da Libertadores 2023 ao empatar em 0 a 0 com o Deportivo Pereira e se tornou o clube brasileiro com mais semifinais na história da competição continental, com 11 participações entre os quatro melhores da América.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasMerentiel pode enfrentar o Palmeiras na semi da Libertadores?Palmeiras31/08/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras avança na Libertadores batendo recordes e mais recordesPalmeiras31/08/2023PalmeirasANÁLISE: Calendário apertado, elenco curto… Abel precisa ‘trocar pneu’ com o Palmeiras jogandoPalmeiras31/08/2023

+ Veja tabela da Libertadores-2023 clicando aqui

De quebra, Abel Ferreira chegou à sua quarta semifinal de Libertadores consecutiva e fez o Verdão alcançar um recorde que somente o Santos do Pelé havia conquistado, ainda nos anos 60.

Se comparar a história do Verdão na Libertadores com a do seu maior rival, o abismo que separa os dois está aumentando cada vez mais, tanto que Abel já tem o dobro de semifinais do Corinthians em toda sua história no campeonato mais importante do nosso calendário.

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Com 132 vitórias na Libertadores, o Palmeiras tem quase o número de triunfos na competição do que o Corinthians tem em jogos (138).

Lembrando que das duas semifinais que o Corinthians fez em Libertadores, em uma delas o próprio Palmeiras acabou eliminando o rival de Itaquera, na edição de 2000. Um ano antes, o Verdão tirou o maior rival nas quartas e também não deu chance deles chegarem entre os quatro melhores do continente.

Na semifinal da Sulamericana muito por ter caído na fase de grupos da atual Libertadores, o Corinthians vê o seu histórico inimigo subir cada vez mais a sua tradição em Libertadores, e isso é um fato que incomoda cada vez mais os corinthianos.

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+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

Palmeiras e Corinthians se enfrentam em Itaquera neste domingo (3), pelo Brasileirão, e o Verdão defende um longo tabu diante do maior rival. Nos últimos dez Dérbis, o Corinthians só venceu um e Abel Ferreira só perdeu essa única vez para o rival, ainda pelo Brasileirão de 2021.

Bangladesh legspinner Rishad Hossain has returned to Lahore Qalandars ahead of their eliminator match in the PSL on Thursday. Qalandars take on Karachi Kings from 8:00pm local time in Lahore.Rishad was in Sharjah on Wednesday, playing in the third T20I between Bangladesh and UAE. He featured in two of the three matches in the series that UAE won 2-1.Related

• Shafique powers Lahore Qalandars into Qualifier 2

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• Mehidy to join Lahore Qalandars for PSL 2025 playoffs

• Nahid Rana pulls out of Bangladesh's tour of Pakistan

• Faheem's all-round show leads Gladiators into final

Rishad was one of several overseas cricketers who were transported out of Pakistan when the tournament was suspended amid the border tensions earlier in the month.Qalandars now have a three-man Bangladeshi spin attack. Alongside Rishad they have Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz joining the side. Shakib has played one game, while Mehidy joined a couple of days ago.Rishad has already played five games for Qalandars, taking nine wickets at 16.44 average. However, he didn’t have a good time against UAE in the two matches, taking three expensive wickets.Qalandars face some interesting selection decisions around their bowling line-up as they have covered most of the variations. They have fast bowlers in Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, but who they choose among the three spinners will be worth looking at.Rishad will remain available for the rest of Qalandars’ PSL campaign. The BCB has extended his No Objection Certificate (NOC) from May 22 to 25. Bangladesh’s first T20I against Pakistan is on May 28 in Lahore, while the PSL final is on May 25.

Williamson finishes on losing side in maiden appearance as Robinson three-for seals victory

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay29-May-2025Sussex 202 for 4 (Coles 77*) beat Middlesex 186 for 7(Geddes 51, Higgins 44, Robinson 3-27) by 16 runsJames Coles smashed a career-best unbeaten 77 from 44 balls to set up a winning start to the Vitality Blast for Sussex Sharks as they held off Middlesex at Lord’s.The 21-year-old’s destructive knock, which included five sixes and five fours, underpinned his unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 88 from 47 with Tom Clark and ensured that last year’s Blast semi-finalists totalled 202 for four.That proved to be enough as the home side fell just short at 186 for seven in reply, despite a maiden T20 half-century by Ben Geddes (51 from 37) and Ryan Higgins’ fearless late display of hitting to rack up 44 from 16.Middlesex made an early breakthrough after winning the toss and opting to bowl, with Noah Cornwell’s opening delivery dragged on by Harrison Ward before John Simpson (22 from 12) and Daniel Hughes really got the scoreboard moving.Hughes began to open up after Simpson’s departure, flaying Henry Brookes for successive leg-side sixes but the Australian’s knock of 38 from 20 came to an abrupt end as Tom Helm’s fingertips deflected Coles’ drive onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end.Luke Hollman’s astute spell of one for 38 prevented Sussex from gaining greater traction – although the legspinner’s figures were dented by a trio of sixes from Coles, who advanced to his third T20 half-century by drilling Cornwell over his head for four.With Clark (26 from 21) taking on a supporting role, Coles scooped Higgins for another maximum as the pair accelerated during the death overs, taking 29 from the final nine balls of the innings to clamber above 200.Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, making his Middlesex debut, provided brief fireworks at the start of their reply, hitting two sixes in 14 from 12 before he fell to Ward’s smart diving catch on the point boundary.But, although Geddes pummelled both Tymal Mills and Brad Currie over the fence, Sussex’s seamers achieved a degree of accuracy that had eluded the home bowlers and the required run-rate soon soared.Stephen Eskinazi (34 from 30) shared a partnership of 58 from 45 with Geddes before he fell to another boundary catch off Currie (two for 38), while Leus du Plooy and Jack Davies both departed cheaply as Sussex turned the screw.However, a flurry of boundaries from Hollman (20 from nine) lifted the tempo and Higgins took up the baton, hammering Mills for two enormous sixes and two fours in the penultimate over to keep Middlesex’s faint hopes alive.But Ollie Robinson (three for 27) kept his cool to send down a near-flawless final over, having Geddes caught in the deep and then yorking Higgins to seal Sussex’s victory