Surrey and Sussex head east

26 November 2009

Surrey will be joined by Sussex, Kings XI Punjab and a Fly Emirates XI in a two-day Twenty20 competition next March

Surrey and Sussex will return to Dubai next year as part of their preparations for the 2010 domestic season.

Both sides took part in the Pro ARCH Trophy in the UAE this year, and have confirmed their participation in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament next March.

The competition, which is separate to the Pro ARCH Trophy, takes place on March 19-20, and also features a young Kings XI Punjab side from the Indian Premier League and a Fly Emirates XI.

Gus Mackay, Surrey’s managing director of cricket, said: “After the success of last year’s tournament we were very keen to take part in the new format, which will provide even more of a chance for us to get match experience ahead of the season.

“The addition of an IPL franchise is a hugely welcome development as it will give us an opportunity to test ourselves against an exciting team we would not normally encounter.”

Both English counties are expected to arrange further one-day games in Dubai as they build up to the start of the LV= County Championship campaign, which gets under way on April 9.