CHRIS Gayle's return to the NatWest T20 Blast was overshadowed by a superb hundred from Chris Nash as Sussex beat Somerset in a one-sided contest at Hove to make it two wins from two in the South Group.

Nash's first T20 century - 112 not out from 64 balls - helped his side to 222 for three, before Gayle found left-armer Tymal Mills' explosive pace too hot to handle and was yorked for five by a delivery timed at 93mph.

Roelof van der Merwe made a defiant 59 and Mahela Jayawardene 51 but Somerset were never in contention, bowled out in the last over for 174 to lose by 48 runs.

Nash and captain Luke Wright laid the platform for the Sharks' second 200-plus total of their Blast campaign - with a stand of 156 in 14 overs for the first wicket.

However, Nash made the most of two fielding lapses. He was dropped before he had scored off the second ball of the match by James Hildreth at backward point - and again in the fifth over by Jayawardene, having scored 17.

Wright did not hit the first six of the innings until the seventh over but it signalled an onslaught by the Sussex batsmen, who plundered 90 off the next eight overs.

Nash was first to his half-century but he was soon overtaken by his partner, who eventually found his timing in his first game of the season after recovering from back and wrist injuries.

Wright's 83 came from just 39 balls and included five sixes and eight fours as he harnessed a strong wind and targeted the Sea End boundary.

It was a surprise when he played on to leg-spinner Max Waller, then Sussex lost Ross Taylor for one in the next over, caught at long-on off a mistimed drive.

But Nash pressed on and Matt Machan (12) gave him excellent support in a third-wicket stand of 51 from 28 balls.

Nash reached his hundred in the 19th over by hitting Jamie Overton over long-on for six before gliding the next ball to the backward point rope. He finished with 13 boundaries and three sixes.

Overton took two wickets for 45 runs - but the Somerset attack were guilty of bowling too short.

An asking rate of more than 11 runs an over was always going to test Somerset and the visitors suffered an immediate blow when Ajmal Shahzad bowled Jim Allenby for a duck with the first legitimate delivery of the innings.

The big moment came in the next over when Mills, with the strong wind at his back, began to bowl consistently at more than 90mph.

Gayle guided one ball over the slips for four but when he stepped away trying to hit the next delivery through the off-side he was bowled, to the delight of the vast majority of the 5,500 crowd.

Sussex's other seamers complemented Mills' raw pace. South African David Wiese picked up four for 38 on his debut and Shahzad ended Somerset's faint hopes when he had Jayawardene caught at long-on for 51 from 39 balls in the 11th over.