Sussex 220 and 39 for 1 path Worcestershire 438 for five (Libby 215) lead by 179 runs
Play did not begin at Hove till 4.10pm due to rain and 84 overs have been misplaced within the match up to now however Worcestershire rapidly made up for misplaced time, Libby main the cost as they thrashed 149 in 20 overs in opposition to some toothless bowling earlier than the declaration.
Sussex had been left with ten overs to barter, and so they misplaced skipper Tom Haines for 13 within the penultimate over when he performed on to Joe Leach. They closed on 39 for 1, nonetheless 179 behind.
Sussex had taken the brand new ball when play finally started after heavy rain but it surely was quickly being dispatched to all components by Libby and Jack Haynes. Pakistan allrounder Faheem Ashraf got here in for some harsh remedy, his three overs costing 30 runs together with three successive boundaries by Libby which took him previous his earlier greatest rating of 184.
He added 96 in 22 overs with Haynes, who performed on to Brad Currie for 31, however skipper Brett D’Oliveira saved up the momentum when he joined Libby. D’Oliveira supplied a tough likelihood off a high-edged pull however Ali Orr, operating around the boundary, could not fairly maintain on as he stepped over the rope. Otherwise, the pair scored at greater than seven runs an over though Sussex had seven fielders on the boundary.
Libby introduced up his 200 with a single off James Coles and supplied his first likelihood on 204, however wicketkeeper Oli Carter spilled a simple alternative transferring to his proper. Libby was finally dismissed by Coles shaping to chop, having confronted 294 balls, hit 25 fours and a six in a extremely spectacular innings spanning six hours, 38 minutes unfold over three days.
It was his crew’s second double-hundred of this season following Azhar Ali’s 235 in opposition to Leicestershire in May and the best rating by a Worcestershire batter in opposition to Sussex, beating Graeme Hick’s 186 at Hove in 1991. The declaration got here when Ashraf had D’Oliveira, whose 43 off 38 balls included two sixes, was caught behind for 43.