JOE GRANT: In beating Durham in a thrilling chase, Sussex have already matched last season's haul of one first-class victory. Is change in the air for their success-starved supporters?
After a disappointing few years in all formats, Sussex look like they could finally be on the rise again and eyeing promotion to Division One for the first time since 2015.
They began the 2023 season with a two-wicket win over Durham at Hove, showing the kind of resilience which has been absent in recent years to get over the line after slipping to 208 for 8 in pursuit of 231.
In doing so, they've already matched last season's haul of one first-class victory. Is change in the air for their success-starved supporters?
Paul Farbrace was announced as Sussex head coach in December. The 55-year-old is no stranger to success – he spent three years as Warwickshire's director of cricket, worked alongside Trevor Bayliss to deliver the 2019 World Cup during a four-year stint with England, and led Sri Lanka to T20 World Cup glory in 2014 – and his appointment felt like the perfect next step: an experienced head to guide a youthful group forward.
Sussex have had a clear strategy in recent years, focusing on developing young players from their academy – against Durham, the average age of their XI (excluding veteran India international Cheteshwar Pujara) was 23. They've had to be patient and have sacrificed results, but they could be about to reap the rewards.
Oli Carter was a key role in the victory over Durham (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Tom Haines broke into Sussex's red-ball side in 2018 at the age of 20 and has been hard to shift ever since. The opener has scored 3,182 runs in 87 first-class innings, averaging 37.88, and enjoyed his most prolific campaign to date in 2022, scoring 941 runs at 49.52, including three centuries and three half-centuries.
Ali Orr is another young and exciting batter in the Sussex ranks. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022, passing 1,000 runs in his final innings of the season (against Glamorgan) and ending the year with a first-class average of 47.59.
Elsewhere, there is Danial Ibrahim – the youngest player to score a County Championship half-century, and 21-year-old wicketkeeper Oli Carter, who has seven fifty-plus knocks to his name in 16 first-class outings.
Sussex had run-scorers last season but struggled to find a reliable source of wickets, with star bowler Ollie Robinson playing just three matches due to England commitments. Sean Hunt topped the wicket-taking charts with just 18 dismissals while no fewer than 25 players featured in the bowling attack.
Farbrace, however, has shown his experience as a director of cricket in his recruitment of Australian bowling-allrounder Nathan McAndrew, whom he also signed for Warwickshire last season. McAndrew struggled at Edgbaston but hit the ground running in his first Sussex outing, taking six wickets and scoring 38 not out in the first innings. Hopefully, he can be the missing piece of the puzzle alongside the likes of Hunt and Henry Crocombe.
Paul Farbrace is charged with getting the best out of a young group (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Of course, their squad is not completely devoid of experience.
Pujara, 35, is the oldest player by six years and, as a veteran of 102 Tests for India, adds a sprinkling of star quality. He was incredible in a struggling Sussex side last season, scoring 1,094 runs at 109.40 in the County Championship, and continued where he left off against Durham, scoring 115 not out (163 balls) in the first innings. It's little surprise that when Haines stepped down from captaincy to focus on his batting, Pujara was installed as his replacement.
And then there's Steve Smith, who will join the county for three matches in May as part of his Ashes preparations. The Australian batter will be available for Sussex's trips to Worcestershire, Leicestershire and the home match against Glamorgan, a run of matches they would expect to take at least one win from.
Many will have written Sussex off after a dismal 2022, but the combination of Farbrace's coaching, a talented young squad and a smattering of international quality could blossom into something special. Do''t discount Sussex just yet.
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