Who are the players to watch? Who’s in the squad? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What is the fixture list? Your questions answered
Coach: Ian Salisbury
Captain: Ben Brown
Overseas: Travis Head (Australia), Stiaan van Zyl (South Africa)
Ins: Jamie Atkins (youth), Henry Crocombe (youth), Jack Carson (youth), Sean Hunt (Surrey)
Outs: Henry Finch (released), Luke Wells (Lancashire), Danny Briggs (Warwickshire), Will Sheffield (released)
Fixture list: April 8 – Lancashire (a), April 15 – Glamorgan (a), April 22 – Yorkshire (h), April 29 – Lancashire (h), May 6 – Northamptonshire (a), May 13 – Kent (h), May 27 – Northamptonshire (h), June 3 – Yorkshire (a), July 4 – Glamorgan (h), July 11 – Kent (a)
Remind me what happened last year?
At first glance, the 2020 table is dismal viewing for Sussex fans: one win, four defeats, 24 points adrift at the bottom of the standings with just 12 points. However, if you factor out their points deduction for ball tampering (Mitch Claydon, at the Brunton Memorial Ground, with the hand sanitiser) they were level with fifth-placed Surrey, still 20-plus points behind Hampshire but no longer alone.
Sussex started the season brightly, defeating Hampshire by 94 runs in a low-scoring affair at Hove. However, this would be the only sunshine in an otherwise poor season.
With the ball, they were no match for Kent’s Jordan Cox and Jordan Leaning who steered their side to an astonishing 503 for 1, but bowled Essex and Middlesex out for 140 and 203, respectively, to put themselves in good positions for victory. However, with the bat Sussex passed 200 just twice in six innings, unravelling their bowling brilliance with low score after low score.
In their final game of the season, the batting line-up finally clicked with half-centuries for Delray Rawlins, Ben Brown and David Wiese, and a fine century for Tom Haines – Sussex’s first of the season – to leave Surrey chasing a first-innings target of 415. Their bowlers excelled again – 388 all out – but it was in vain. Only three batsmen recorded double-figure knocks as Sussex crumbled to 128 all out and were condemned to last place.
In a sentence: competitive but lacking a clinical edge.
Jack Carson enjoyed a breakout year in 2020
What’s happened over the winter?
Given the circumstances, 2020 was a positive year off the field for Sussex. The club reported losses of just £34,000 despite the pandemic, largely thanks to the generosity of members, the government’s furlough scheme and their comparatively small reliance on hospitality revenue.
There have also been backroom changes aplenty. Head coach Jason Gillespie returned to Australia at the end of the season and has been replaced at the helm by former players Ian Salisbury (first-class and List A) and James Kirtley (T20). Former Leicestershire batsman, Ashley Wright, has also been brought in as a batting coach but the biggest appointment is that of World Cup winner Sarah Taylor as a wicketkeeping coach – an enviable resource for Travis Head, Ben Brown and Phil Salt
In fact, Sussex’s main negative issue in recent weeks was leatherjacket larvae damaging the outfield at Hove which has necessitated moving their first fixture of the season against Lancashire to Old Trafford. As the season progresses, they’ll be hoping for daddy hundreds rather than daddy longlegs…
Who’s arrived and who’s left?
Youngsters Jack Carson, Henry Crocombe and Jamie Atkins have earned rookie contracts ahead of the 2021 season. Bowlers Carson and Crocombe were rewarded for their impressive debut campaigns in the Bob Willis Trophy while seamer Jamie Atkins is on the radar of the England Lions set-up. Sussex also won the race to sign promising teenage seamer Sean Hunt from Surrey.
Two welcome arrivals on the south coast are overseas stars Travis Head and Stiaan van Zyl who were unable to join the club in 2020 due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Head, who has made 19 Test appearances for Australia, has nearly 8,000 runs in 114 first-class matches – including 15 hundreds and 48 fifties – and will provide much needed batting stability at Hove. South African all-rounder Van Zyl, meanwhile, brings 11,132 runs and 68 first-class wickets to the changing rooms.
Four players departed during the off-season. Henry Finch, Luke Wells and Will Sheffield were released at the end of their contracts, with batsman Wells later being picked up by Lancashire. White-ball spin king Danny Brings, meanwhile, joined Warwickshire on a three-year deal.
Who will be the key men in 2021?
There can be no underestimating the value of Head and Van Zyl. Batting was a major concern for Sussex last season – they achieved a second-innings score above 200 just once and scored one century in five matches – and having their overseas stars unavailable was a contributing factor. Their arrival on the south coast, whenever that may be, will be a huge boost.
Better known for his white-ball skills, Phil Salt was near irreplaceable with the bat in last season’s Bob Willis Trophy, scoring three half-centuries on his way to 290 runs. He has four red-ball centuries to his name and if he can add to them in 2021, Sussex will have a strong top-order.
With the ball, Ollie Robinson – England commitments depending – is crucial. The 27-year old took 14 wickets at an average of 12.5 in just two appearances last season: irreplaceable.
One to watch
Jack Carson. The 20-year old from Northern Ireland has been on Sussex’s books since he was 12 and whoever scouted him deserves a significant raise. Making his first XI debut last season, Carson took a team-leading 15 wickets at an average of 22.66 in four appearances, including his maiden five-for against Surrey in September.
Only four spinners – Simon Harmer, Amar Virdi, Dan Moriaty and Matt Critchley - took more wickets than the Irishman last season and he will likely be Sussex’s first-choice spinner in 2021. The only question is, just how many wickets can he take in a full season?
What can we expect from this team this season?
The key for Sussex in 2021 is improvement. A return to the all-conquering Sussex of the noughties will not happen overnight, instead this season is the first building block of many on the road back to the top.
Salisbury’s side should target two wins over Glamorgan, competitive showings – and hopefully positive results – against Northants and Kent, and embrace their underdog status against Yorkshire and Lancashire. Fourth place and good white-ball performances will be a successful year.
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