Sussex's year off Championship action might provide scant relief

BOB WILLIS TROPHY PREVIEW: The county have been out of the top tier in the County Championship for half a decade. The Bob Willis Trophy may be a welcome distraction

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In: Ravi Bopara (Essex), Mitch Claydon (Kent), Stuart Meaker (Surrey)

Out: Michael Burgess (Warwickshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), Abi Sakande (released)

Fixtures: August 1 – Hampshire (h); August 8 – Kent (a); August 15 – Essex (h); August 22 – Middlesex (a); September 6 – Surrey (a)

Remind me what happened last year?

Cut and paste job from Middlesex? Well… things didn’t go to plan in the County Championship under their high-profile Australian coach, after promotion had been widely predicted.

They dropped from third to sixth in the last few games. The difference was that Jason Gillespie didn’t fall out with the captain (Ben Brown)… to our knowledge, anyhow. Only Stiaan van Zyl passed 800 Championship runs while Phil Salt was hampered by a broken finger, and the exciting youngsters regressed.

Next summer will be their sixth away from the top tier.

What’s happened over the winter?

Gillespie thought he had found the perfect man to address his side’s batting woes in Australian Travis Head. We will have to wait until next year to see if he was right.

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Who’s arrived and who’s left?

Ravi Bopara can do a decent job at No.5, even if the Blast could be his primary focus. Mitch Claydon’s arrival from Kent could be a shrewd acquisition and Stuart Meaker’s impact will be intriguing.

Who will be the key men in 2020?

Sussex will announce the availability of David Wiese and Van Zyl on Wednesday morning.

Luke Wells is fighting for his future. He is out of contract this winter.

Can he reproduce the form he enjoyed during the winter when he made 290, the second-highest score in 115 years of Melbourne grade cricket? Bopara, Brown and Wiese are an attacking, accomplished lower-middle-order.

Ollie Robinson has taken 137 wickets in the last two years, and he is the spearhead with Jofra Archer on England duty and Chris Jordan unavailable after a bicep op.

What can we expect from this team this season?

Useful experience for the youngsters at the top of the order: Harry Finch, Tom Haines and Tom Clark. Robinson did well for England Lions in Australia last winter, and has had a taste of the senior international squad in the bio-bubble. He knows he’s close.

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