Sussex at full pelt

Matt Prior paid tribute to the impact Mushtaq Ahmed has had at Hove © Getty Images

Sussex are aiming for a fourth County Championship title in six years this summer with their main men back in the fold.

Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed returns for a sixth season at Hove while Matt Prior, England’s first-choice Test wicketkeeper just under a year ago, will be available for the immediate future.

With Australian Ryan Harris bolstering the seam bowling stocks, which include James Kirtley, Jason Lewry and Robin Martin-Jenkins, plus Murray Goodwin and captain Chris Adams providing vast experience in the middle order, there is no shortage of knowhow.

Sussex have certainly come a long way since Adams and coach Peter Moores forged the club’s inaugural championship success in 2003.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” said Prior, ahead of today’s opening-round match against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

Sussex enjoy winning the championship last season

“I remember Grizz (Adams) and Peter Moores having their dreams and saying 'let’s create a legacy of something that’s never been done before'.

“I remember at the time our squad wasn’t the strongest in the country by a distance - but we were the fittest. We could work harder than anyone else and felt confident as a squad.”

Mushtaq, 37, who claimed 90 Division One scalps in 2007, and Goodwin have not had the match practice of their colleagues, who followed four one-day games in Abu Dhabi and the usual pre-season fixtures with the best of the first-class season opener against MCC.

“Obviously having Mushtaq come in has been a massive thing,” said Prior. “Everyone mentions that if we didn’t have Mushtaq we wouldn’t have won the championship.

“Maybe not, but every good team has to have a superstar. You need your match-winner in a great team, but you’ve also got to have a Kirtley, Lewry and Martin-Jenkins the other end.

“And you’ve got to have Adams, Goodwin, Michael Yardy scoring 1,500 runs a year, putting scores on the board.”

Sussex’s younger players have begun 2008 in fine form with England one-day international Luke Wright hitting a career-best unbeaten 155 at Lord's last week, the same day opener Chris Nash extended his highest score to 90.

Chris Nash is keen to improve his conversion rate this year

It was the 13th time in first-class cricket that Nash, 24, has passed 50 without making it to three figures.

“I spent the winter looking at what I can improve in my game - it is to convert more of the starts I get,” he said.

“There were certain elements I was happy with last year but there is also so much I want to improve on.

“It will come when it comes but if I want to progress to be a senior player at Sussex and hopefully move onwards and upwards I have got to get hundreds. That is the target I have set myself.”

Sussex will find serious challenges coming from most of the nine teams grouped in Division One as they aim to make it three titles in a row this summer.

“You look forward to that kind of challenge,” said Nash. “You know teams are going to go hard at you and that is what you want - to play the hardest cricket you can - so we will go out and enjoy it as we have over the last couple of years.

“We defended last year and hopefully we will this year. We’re not the biggest county, we’re not a Test match ground, but what we do is work really hard and make the most of the talent we’ve got.”