HOVE, England, CMC – Bermudian all-rounder Delray Rawlins produced his best performance with the bat for Sussex this season when he struck a quickfire 41 in a losing cause against South Africa in a one-day tour match here on Friday.
Batting at number six, the 19-year-old Rawlins smashed three fours and two sixes in his 30-ball knock that ended when he was run out.
Rawlins was fifth out at 154 after adding 67 runs with number three Harry Finch, who top-scored with 62 as Sussex lost the game – reduced to 32 overs a side after a rain delay – by 66 runs.
South Africa, powered by opener Quinton de Kock’s 104 from 78 balls before he retired and half- centuries from JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell, piled up 289 for four and then restricted Sussex to 223 for nine in reply.
Duminy hit 68 off 46 balls while Parnell, who put on 121 in an opening stand with de Kock, hit 61 off 42 deliveries.Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj bore the brunt of Rawlins’ assault as the former Bermuda Under-19 captain belted him for two sixes and two fours in the 17th over as he and Finch took the attack to the South African bowlers.
Rawlins, whose four overs of left-arm spin went for 30 runs, wrote his name into the history books when he became the first Bermudian to play County cricket in April, making his first-class debut against Kent in a four-day County Championship Division Two match.
South Africa went into Friday’s match without captain AB de Villiers, who was feeling unwell, and Faf du Plessis, who rested a shoulder niggle.
The tourists have another warm-up match against Northampton on Sunday before facing England at Headingley on Wednesday in the first of their one-day international series.
