Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the County Championship...
Fixture: Sussex v Yorkshire
Venue: 1st Central County Ground, Hove
Dates: Thursday, April 22, 2021 - Sunday, April 25, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Notwithstanding an initial wobble against Glamorgan, where they conceded a 137-run first-innings lead but still drew, Yorkshire have looked dominant in the opening two rounds, beating Kent by 200 runs in their most recent fixture.
Sussex, inspired by an outrageous second-innings 9 for 78 from premier seamer Ollie Robinson, made light work of Glamorgan to register an eight-wicket win to go with a hard-earned draw against Lancashire at Old Trafford.
Who's in form?
Sitting at the summit of the Championship wicket-taking table, with 15 wickets at 13.13, you can’t shake the feeling that Robinson can’t be far away from a Test debut. With 13 of those scalps coming in his last outing, the Sussex seamer will be chomping at the bit to prove himself against a batting line-up that includes England skipper Joe Root.
Root himself has found some form, making 101 in the second dig against Kent, but it is Adam Lyth who has grabbed the headlines for Yorkshire: he is county cricket’s leading runscorer with 380 at 126.66 and is yet to fail to pass fifty. A thousand runs before the end of May don’t seem out of the question.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Sussex: WDWDD
Yorkshire: WDLLL
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 175
Sussex wins: 30
Yorkshire wins: 69
Draws: 76
Abandoned: 2
What's the team news?
Sussex: Sussex are still without opener Phil Salt who remains unavailable with a foot injury. Aussie seamer Mitch Claydon comes into the squad.
Sussex squad: Ben Brown (c), Ollie Robinson, Jack Carson, Tom Clark, Mitch Claydon Henry Crocombe, George Garton, Tom Haines, Sean Hunt, Delray Rawlins, Aaron Thomason, Stiaan van Zyl
Yorkshire: Gary Ballance has been cleared to play after suffering a concussion in a net incident ahead of the new season.
Ben Coad continues his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury and is expected to be out for a further three to four weeks. Matthew Fisher is two to three weeks away from being fully fit following an abdominal injury.
Matthew Waite will be sidelined for a further four to five weeks after suffering from a side-strain in pre-season.
Yorkshire squad: Gary Ballance, Dom Bess, Harry Brook, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth, Duanne Olivier, Steve Patterson, Mat Pillans, Joe Root, Jonny Tattersall, Jordan Thompson, David Willey
Latest Sussex news: Click here
Latest Yorkshire news: Click here
Who's said what?
Sussex head-honcho Ian Salisbury isn't getting ahead of himself after his side's win in round two.
"I’ve been around long enough to know that one win doesn’t change too much, but it adds belief in what we’re doing," he said.
"Yorkshire have won more County Championships than anyone else, Sussex haven’t played Yorkshire for six years, it’s the first home game and there will be some big names on show - what a fantastic fixture!"
Yorkshire head coach Andrew Gale expects the seamers, and Duanne Olivier in particular, to get some assistance from the Hove surface.
“We haven’t played there for a long time, and the pitch used to be a bit of a slow featherbed,” he said. “But I’m told now that there’s a bit of pace and bounce in it.
“That will be good for the game.
“I thought Duanne’s line and lengths at Kent were as good as I’ve ever seen him bowl for Yorkshire. They were a lot fuller on a pitch which didn’t really suit him.
“If he bowls like that on a quicker pitch, he will certainly get his rewards for it.”
What's the weather forecast?
With the weather set fair for all four days, it's nearing ice-cream weather at seaside Hove. No rain scheduled and no interruptions in play anticipated.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Hove: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Sussex will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets: This match is to be played behind closed doors owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Travel: Not applicable owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Prediction?
It would be no surprise to see Sussex pull off a major upset by turning over Yorkshire, who showed signs of fragility against Glamorgan. Much will depend on whether Robinson can snaffle Lyth and Root early. Do that, and his case for selection will be unimpeachable. Home win.
OTHER MATCH PREVIEWS
Group 1
Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire
Group 2
Group 3
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