Sussex need good start

James Kirtley's bowling action has been cleared

Test Match Special commentator Simon Mann assesses Sussex's prospects for the 2002 county season.

Like Surrey, Sussex enter the new season grieving at the recent loss of a teammate following Umer Rashid's tragic death on the club's pre-season tour of the Caribbean.

Rashid was an improving cricketer and a regular last season but the biggest effect of his tragic death will be on the team's morale.

A lot will depend on how well they start the summer.

  Championship prediction

Beating the drop will be a success

It is their first season in Division One and their immediate challenge will be to stay there - it will not be easy.

Much will depend on their three leading batsmen - Murray Goodwin, Richard Montgomerie and Chris Adams - and the new ball pair, James Kirtley and Jason Lewry.

It is asking a lot of openers Goodwin and Montgomerie to reproduce the form that was the basis of the team's success last season when they won the Second Division title with a degree of comfort.

Goodwin was rewarded with a new two-year contract for being the division's leading run-scorer and between them they scored 13 centuries and nearly 3,000 Championship runs.

Adams, who captains the side for a fifth season, is convinced he should be in England's one-day squad for the World Cup and has been pressing his claims.

He is combative leader and should thrive on the challenge of First Division cricket

Goodwin has a huge success in 2001

The club's one major signing is the 25 year-old left-arm pace-bowler Paul Hutchison, who has arrived from Yorkshire on a lucrative contract.

There is no doubt he is talented, but injuries and competition for places restricted him to three matches last season and five the season before.

If he does stay fit, he will form a potent attack along with Kirtley and Lewry.

Kirtley's bowling action has been cleared after his problems during England's one-day series in Zimbabwe, but the ECB's ruling was always likely to be a formality.

The England management, and the player, did not believe he had a problem in the first place. His action will only come under scrutiny again if he is called up to play more international cricket.

He deserved his chance with England after an impressively consistent record over several years. In the last four seasons, he has taken 54, 65, 63 and 75 championship wickets respectively.

He should be a force in the First Division. If he is, it will be interesting to see if the selectors have the confidence to pick him again.

  Sussex 2002

Captain: Chris Adams

Coach: Peter Moores

Overseas player: Murray Goodwin

Main signing: Paul Hutchison (Yorkshire)

Main departures: None

Lewry is an able companion - his record is 62, 56, 51 and 57 wickets over the same period - while the back up will come from the experienced Mark Robinson, who had an exceptional season in 2001, and Robin Martin-Jenkins.

The side has three areas of weakness - the middle order batting, the lack of a quality spinner and the absence of an experienced wicket-keeper/batsman.

South African Mark Davis is a competitive cricketer, but on last season's evidence is no more than a steady off-spinner.

In the middle order, Bas Zuiderent and Michael Yardy could struggle against First Division bowlers. Yardy is probably the least flamboyant batsman in the country. His 741 runs last summer were scored at 39 per hundred balls.

A fit Martin-Jenkins will help - he was restricted to nine matches last season because of injury.

Wicket-keeper Matt Prior is still learning the game and, in his first full season, was unable to contribute consistently with the bat.

Sussex have some outstanding individuals but lack the all-round strength of Yorkshire, Surrey, Somerset, Kent and Warwickshire.