JUST when Surrey were looking increasingly mortal, Azhar Mahmood struck 14 off the last three balls to rescue them at a soggy Hove. With washouts elsewhere in the South group, Surrey took a large step towards the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 as they moved clear at the top. Sussex remain second-bottom and are unlikely to qualify.

Surrey needed 114 off 13 overs, after more than sea fret had rolled in to finish Sussex’s innings at 139 for six off 17 overs.

Requiring 14 off the last over, Surrey had taken only two off Michael Yardy’s first three balls of left-arm orthodox spin. Then Yardy, who had been bowling crease-seeking darts, decided to give the ball some air and Azhar smote a huge six over long-on. He followed that with a four over extra cover.

With Surrey one behind the Sussex total but with one fewer wicket lost, confusion reigned for more than three minutes as the umpires checked whether one or two was needed to win. It proved academic when Azhar smashed a four straight over long-off. A disconsolate Yardy almost ran off.

Surrey may not be the same side without Adam Hollioake, but in only his second match back from the shin injury that has kept him out since the first championship match, Azhar showed that they still have some magic.

It was no surprise that Sussex chose to bat, having never chased more than 135 in this competition. After smashing 28 off the first ten balls from Jimmy Ormond and Azhar, Sussex were always likely to spend the rest of the innings decelerating, but after Matt Prior’s third fifty, from 31 balls, in four Twenty20 innings they tailed away badly. The rain made their score look better.

If the Surrey batsmen were disconcerted to find a pitch of uneven dampness where the cloth had been snaked on in a hurry by the groundstaff, they did not show it.

A 28-ball fifty by Alistair Brown propelled Surrey to 74 in the eighth over, but Brown was bowled by a beautiful yorker from Luke Wright.

Two panicky run-outs followed in the ninth over — both involving Azhar. Mushtaq Ahmed bamboozled Scott Newman in a tenth over that went for one run and Surrey suddenly needed 31 off the last three.

SHOW-STOPPER: Chris Adams’s two run-outs in one over from backward point — there’s life in the old dog yet.

SHOW-DOWNER: The rain (almost).