Delray Rawlins has taken his eye-catching innings which propelled Sussex to the Twenty20 Vitality Blast Finals Day all in stride.

After successive first-ball dismissals in Sussex’s previous matches in the competition, the cricketer responded with a 29-ball knock of 42 to help his side beat Durham Jets by five-wickets in the quarter-finals last Friday.

The Bermudian came in at No 4 and hit seven fours during 34 minutes at the crease and shared in a third-wicket stand of 70 with Laurie Evans in eight overs to set up Sussex’s win.

Chasing Durham’s 140 for seven, Sussex replied with 144 for five with ten balls remaining.

“I just tried to play, really, take as much pressure off the other end as possible and luckily it came off,” Rawlins told The Royal Gazette.

Rawlins came to the crease on the last ball of the fourth over at 28 for two and played some “breathtaking” shots before he departed at 98 for three when he gave an easy return catch to England seam bowler Mark Wood. “It’s always nice when those come off,” said Rawlins of some of his big shots.

“I’ve been hitting the ball well, so I’ve just been trusting my ability and backing myself to do well.”

Luke Wright, the Sussex captain, hailed Rawlins’s whirlwind knock.

“We’ve got a little superstar in Delray Rawlins,” Wright said. “We’ve known how good he can be. He likes the TV cameras as well, but some of the shots he played were breathtaking.

“We’re really excited about him. I think he has a very exciting future to come.”

Sussex will face Somerset in the semi-final at Edgbaston on September 15.

The winner will face either Lancashire Lightning or Worcestershire Rapids in the final, which will be held on the same day.

“The lads have been awesome throughout the tournament and deserve to be at finals day,” Rawlins added.

“We’ve played some very good cricket at times without a lot of luck. But it’s a nice feeling to know we will be there.”