Cheteshwar Pujara and Steve Smith rescue Sussex from difficulties against Worcestershire on Day Two of the County Championship.

On Day 2 of the County Championship Division 2 match between Worcestershire and Sussex, Cheteshwar Pujara and Steve Smith saved Sussex. When the two met at the crease, Sussex was in trouble with the score at 67/3 in the first innings.

Pujara and Smith, who were batting jointly for the first time, contributed 61 runs for the fourth wicket and elevated their team’s total above 100. Smith’s innings saw him score 30 off 57 balls while hitting five boundaries. Josh Tongue’s trapping of Smith in front of the stumps during the opening session of the day’s play ended their partnership.

Cheteshwar Pujara, the captain of Sussex, called Worcestershire to bat first after winning the toss earlier in the match. The team captained by Brett D’Oliveira didn’t get off to the best of starts as Ed Pollock was removed by Ollie Robinson in the first over alone, costing them their maiden wicket.

The seamer was unstoppable after that, taking three more wickets in his opening stint to reduce Worcestershire to 44/5 before continuing. Adam Hose and Gareth Roderick joined forces in a 92-run stand after spotting their side was in difficulty to assist them surpass the 100-run threshold.

For Sussex, Ollie Robinson hits a magnificent 7-fer.
When Roderick was fired for 39 by Sean Hunt, their alliance was destroyed. Henry Crocombe later dismissed Adam Hose for 59 as well. Matthew Waite (59) and Joe Leach (53) began a huge 103-run stand with their club on 160/7.

Worcestershire scored 264 runs in the first innings thanks to their heroic knocks. Ollie Robinson picked 7/59 in his 17-over period, making him the major wrecker for them.

In the second innings, Sussex struggled to 67/3 before Pujara and Smith led them to the safety of the shoreline after losing Tom Clark (12), Tom Alsop (13) and Ali Orr (34) early in the innings. On Day 2, Sussex was 158/5 at lunch, with Pujara unbeaten at 40* and Oli Carter at 5*.