Hapless Middlesex remain rooted to the foot of the table after a seven-wicket thrashing by Sussex Sharks – their sixth straight NatWest T20 Blast defeat.

The Lord’s side were soundly beaten after they lost the toss and could only muster 133-8 from their 20 overs – and the visitors chased down that target with almost five overs to spare.

Dawid Malan returned from injury to resume his place at the top of the Middlesex order, but his comeback was a brief one as he swung at Tymal Mills’ first ball and was caught at third man for four.

Middlesex were 12-2 when Nick Compton (4) chopped a slower delivery onto his stumps, but Paul Stirling (23) seemed to be settling into a groove as he struck successive fours off Chris Liddle.

However, Stirling’s innings ended with a top-edged sweep off Michael Yardy to short third man and the in-form John Simpson (14) fell to a fine diving catch on the boundary by Harry Finch.

Eoin Morgan did his best to hold the innings together with a watchful knock of 27, but he fell to a thin edge off Steffan Piolet and Middlesex were never able to pick up any kind of momentum.

They went nine overs without a boundary and Mills (4-22) finished off with the wickets of Andy Balbirnie (18) and Mitch McClenaghan first ball, while James Franklin (26) was run out as the innings dragged to a close.

Sussex signalled their intent immediately, with Chris Nash (12) hitting the first two balls of the innings to the boundary before he was pinned leg before in the next over by debutant McClenaghan (3-24).

That proved to be nothing more than a blip, however, as skipper Luke Wright and Matt Machan kept the scoreboard ticking over with a second-wicket partnership of 75.

Wright smashed 47 from 33 balls before he perished to a top edge off McClenaghan, who then removed Machan (30) lbw with his next delivery to leave the Sharks on 90-3, but ultimately Middlesex had too few runs to play with.

Craig Cachopa (25 not out) kept the visitors on course with two big sixes off Ravi Patel and he and George Bailey (15no) saw Sussex across the line with an unbroken stand of 44.