Story Sussex:2022 - Over 3 million vCash to be won!

[Varun]

KIU the imagination and creativity mate! Sorry to trouble you again and again but what happened of Umar Akmal and Mohd. Aamer ? They look so promising now.

 

[MaD]

Great to see Phil Hughes up at the top, nice writing

 

[Imager36]

Yeah, I'll just say that Umar Akmal has a List A average of over 45 and a FC average of over 50 but has never been picked for Pakistan, something that obviously can't happen in real life now! Aamer has never played for them either, but has taken FC wickets at just under 23 and OD wickets at just over 20, so the future looks good for him!

 

[Imager36]

Sussex Squad Part Five - Allrounders​

Name - Adil Rashid
Age - 34
Year joined - 2010
Profile - The first player that Carl Hopkinson signed, Adil Rashid is a previous captain of the club, but retired after only 1 season in the job as he felt that his batting and bowling had gone backwards, and handed over the captaincy to Andy Hodd in 2016. Being almost ever present for Sussex since he joined, Rashid has played 243 first class matches and 261 one day matches, boasting 9,999 first class runs at an average of 32.25, a number which many people believe may have stopped him retiring at the end of last season. He also has 802 first class wickets at 27.28. One dayers have always been his special suit, however, with 3064 one day runs at 25.11 and 459 wickets at only 21.35. His shy demeanor in interviews makes him easy to get on with, as he is one of the nicest people on the county circuit. A great batsman, and a great legspinner.
Sugden needs to - Get Rashid to encourage a new generation of spinners to Sussex, as he is the only one remaining.

Name - James Harris
Age - 31
Year joined - 2010
Profile - Slightly underused by Hopkinson, another brought in during his first season, Harris has played exactly 42 less first class matches than Rashid and 41 less one day matches in their careers, as well as playing 22 ODIs and 6 test matches for England, averaging at just under 21 in the ODIs, making him one of the bowlers who was cruelly discarded after very good performances. Not really a true allrounder, as all those at the club aren?t except Rashid, Harris is an extremely good bowler with batting nous, having an FC batting average of over 20, and having 17 FC 50s, albeit with his top score as 99. I?m sure he?d like to break that 100 barrier before the end of his career, but that all depends on someone staying with him for long enough, as he has 55 not outs in 296 innings! With 785 FC wickets, however, he isn?t someone who would be left out of any well thinking coach?s plans, and I?m sure he?ll play a large part in Sugden?s side, especially in the one day format.
Sugden needs to - Promote stickability in the lower order to help him through to a century!

Name - Glen Coddington
Age - 30
Year joined - 2016
Profile - Coddington, even more underused than Harris, with only 104 first class appearances since 2013 when he started, is a vastly underrated bowler and indeed batsman who has, at times, had to prop up Sussex?s lower order with Harris after a collapse. With a batting average only 0.2 lower than Harris?s, the two have been known, in past years, to appear at 9 and 10 in the batting order, with Hodd at 6, Rashid at 7 and handy Sri Lankan allrounder Geeth Alwis (Sussex 2014-2020) at 8. Although he has never actually taken international honours, he has been a solid county player for many seasons, and has been likened by pundits (me included) to Robin Martin-Jenkins, albeit slightly shorter and stockier as a man! With over 500 FC wickets to his name as well, averaging out at around 5 wickets per FC match, he is likely to be one part of the tough choices that Sugden will have to make on the bowling front.
Sugden needs to - Decide whether solid county pros are good enough to make his team.

Name - Anthony Hunt
Age - 34
Year joined - 2012
Profile - A decade at Sussex now for Hunt, he is getting on a bit now, and it remains to be seen as to how often he will play for Sugden?s new regime. Some left-field pundits such as Sky?s Mark Ramprakash have suggested that Sugden may make him captain, but this reporter thinks that this may well be just because of the fact that he was a Middlesex and Surrey player, and had his career ended by Chris Adams, making him hate Sussex with a passion, with him just trying to give Sugden ideas. With an FC batting average just under 20 and the best FC bowling average in the entire squad of Sussex players (just under 26). Also with the best figures in a single innings of any player in the Sussex squad (8/88), Hunt has never been short of talent, but has never made an international appearance, something which is surprising given his figures compared to long time international bowler, often regarded as one of the best quick bowlers in England, team mate Greg Warner, who?s played 73 tests and rising. We?ll look at Greg in a later article.
Sugden needs to - Find someone to follow in Hunt?s footsteps.

These bowlers who can bat a bit are all ageing, so a major challenge for Sugden is to try and teach a bowler to bat, find one, or play with 4 bowlers in FC matches and have a weak tail in OD matches in the foreseeable future.

 

[Imager36]

Just a quick update on the captaincy situation today. I should have the rest of the bowlers up for tomorrow.

Foot's Odds Slashed to 4/1 for Sussex Captaincy

In a surprise move, Martin Foot's odds have been slashed from the initial 9/1 to 4/1 in the past few days as money has been piled on the 29 year old batsman.

In other news from the betting shops, Paul Ewing has had his odds raised to 20/1 as he now seems to be out of the race to succeed Andy Hodd as captain of the Sharks at Hove. Adil Rashid is now more likely to take over on a one season deal according to the bookies with his odds now at 7/1. Anthony Hunt, not mentioned much in the contest up until now, has also had his odds slashed to 11/2, giving him a decent chance of being Sugden's first captain.

In other Sussex news, I am pleased to announce that Andy Sugden will be revealing his decision on the captaincy to us first in the exclusive interview in a fortnight's time, exactly one month before the start of Sussex's season. In terms of that interview, of course, we still need your questions to ask to him during that time. Martin Robinson hasn't got enough by himself! Anyway, over now to that self-same Martin Robinson, as he interviews an actual bookie, because he is paid to do something every four days! ​

MR - Good morning, and welcome to Ladbrokes, Hove. Remember, during the course of this interview, that other betting shops are available, and this is just the one I like most! Anyway, I've found someone to speak to, and that is the manager of this particular store, Robert Harding.

RH - Good afternoon, Martin.

MR - It's 10:42.

RH - So it is.

MR - Yes. Anyway, what are the reason's for the slashing of Foot's odds?

RH - The fact that a lot of money has gone on him the past few days.

MR - Smart money?

RH - Unlikely, any money coming into a bookie's is dumb if you ask me.

MR - Fair enough. Any news of the wicketkeeper odds?

RH - No new news, but Freshwater is still most likely to play, even with the new addition of Griffith, but that shop down the road has Morley as favourite. Bookies are useless.

MR - You are a bookie?

RH - Yes, but I never wanted to be a bookmaker. I wanted to be a lumberjack!

MR - I think that pretty much sums it up.

Thank you for trying, Martin Robinson, remember, quantity of interviewees over quality. Talking about quality, Sugden needs more questions!

 

[CG123]

Lol, pretty random interview, with some random as stuff in it.
E.g. the time, and the guy that's being interviewed.
I really like you writing style, keep it up.

 

[Imager36]

Sussex Squad Part Six - The Other Bowlers​

Name - Greg Warner
Age - 32
Year joined - 2009
Profile - Joining Sussex in 2009, Greg Warner has had an illustrious career with Sussex, and has been one of the players who has been synonymous with the Carl Hopkinson era and was one of his largest allies in the Sussex camp with Adil Rashid and Andy Hodd. Still boasting an England central contract, Warner has been the best one day bowler in the past decade. Once a prot?g? of James Kirtley, he has gone above and beyond him, playing in 73 tests averaging just over 31 and 27 ODIs with an average of 21.09. His List A record is fantastic, with 245 wicket with a run rate of 4.2 and an average of only 18.53. A number 10 or 11 batsman, Warner occasionally ends up slogging down the order, hitting 3 sixes in his high score of 31 in one day cricket. Not a great fielder either, often hidden at 3rd man, Warner could be referred to as a pie eater, but with his phenomenal line and length bowling, certainly not a pie chucker.
Sugden needs to - Make Warner his ally.

Name - Paul Bannister
Age - 24
Year joined - 2016
Profile - Brought through the youth academy the year after talented swing bowler Sam DeFries left to Kent, Bannister is a man who often goes for runs, but is a vital wicket taker in FC cricket for Sussex. Taking the new ball often with Anthony Hunt in the longer form, Bannister has got a knack for removing high profile openers, such as Horace Delaney and Henry Rush of England. A lot of Bannister's wickets go caught at slip, due to his swing, which is why he often starts well in one day matches and goes around the park later on, when the slips have disappeared. Bannister is most certainly part of Sussex's future, and maybe if he continues well, part of England's.
Sugden needs to - Keep slips in to Bannister later on in a OD innings.

Name - Jack Conran
Age - 21
Year joined - 2021
Profile - A 21 year old with a bright future in cricket, Conran transferred from Cambridge University at the end of the 2021 season. So far in his short career, he has promised much, with 45 wickets at 14.02 in one day cricket, with a run rate of only 3.85. A more than capable batsman, with 4 first class 50s, Conran may turn into a handy no.8 batsman in the future, something that Sugden will be more than grateful for by the time Hunt, Coddington, Rashid and Harris retire. Conran could have a nice future.
Sugden needs to - Get the best out of him.

Name - Jim Bramble
Age - 21
Year joined - 2021
Profile - Another 21 year old with a bright future, Jack Conran, sorry Jim Bramble, is another player with a good future in the game. An FC average of over 42 is something that obviously needs to be addressed, as does his OD run rate of 5.2. These aren't problems that can't be addressed, and he is a very talented player, but I wanted to say something other than what I said about Conran.
Sugden needs to - Get the best out of him.

Name - Simon Henderson
Age - 23
Year joined - 2020
Profile - Yet another young bowler who has a lot of talent, there is almost nothing left to say about Henderson, apart from possibly see above. Thanks for seeing us through with our squad updates. Andy Sugden will be interviewed in the next few days by Martin Robinson. I will be giving him a pep talk.
Sugden needs to - Get the best out of one of them.

 

[just_cricket]

Phenomenal writing, mate, some of the best I've seen on PC.
Looking forward to the interview: at least I've asked some questions!
Also looking forward to the games, kutgw!

 

[Varun]

Nice writing! Really excited to know about the future players. KIUGW!

 

[Imager36]

The one we’ve been waiting for - Exclusive interview with Andy Sugden​

​

And this one is actually exclusive. Sugden hasn’t sold up to a national newspaper. Martin Robinson has been warming up his notes, and taking on board all of your questions, before going into the interview room and asking basically as many as he could in his 15 minute time slot. Good luck, Martin.​

MR - Andy Sugden, new head coach of Sussex, hello!

AS - Hello, Martin, welcome to my regime!

MR - That seemed almost threatening!

AS - Haha, don’t worry, I won’t kill you. Probably!

MR - Ha, I suppose I’d better start questioning. Firstly, why did you take the job?

AS - Why not, Martin? As a lifelong fan of this club I couldn’t say no, I’d have done it for free if asked!

MR - How do you feel the quality of the squad is here?

AS - Very good, actually. I feel we have a decent balance between talented youngsters and experienced heads, which should really help the team going forward.

MR - True. How have you tried to stop the well known division in the squad from last year, in which there were almost two groups within the camp, and, proved the downfall of Hopkinson?

AS - I really don’t think that it’s true that there was a division in the squad, and if so, it did not lead to Carl’s downfall, the loss of the championship and the poor performance in Pro40 were the things that really got him. I’m sure the whole division thing was just crossed wires, but I’ll make sure to sort out any trouble if any arises.

MR - Okay. Now, about your signings...

AS - Yes. I knew you’d ask about them! I’m not sure that either of them, Norton or Griffith, are ready to make an instant impact in the first team, but I feel that Norton will be really ready to play for the club by the time that Jim Wright goes on international duty, and Griffith will just need to improve on his batting until I feel he is ready to take the gloves.

MR - I understand the signing of Norton totally, but why did you feel that you had to bring in another keeper when the club already has 2 talented young keeper/batsmen? Also, do you not think it will undermine Morley and Freshwater’s confidence?

AS - I can see why you might think that, but I feel that Griffith could well be the best keeper/batsman of his generation if he gets it right in the next decade or so. Also, I feel that, if necessary, there could be a place for two keepers in the team if they all prove their batting capabilities.

MR - Hmm. We’ll just have a couple of reader’s questions before I ask you about the captaincy. Firstly, this from a Mr. J. Cricket, which I presume isn’t his real name, ‘What is your cricket background?’ Good question. I don't really know who you are yet.

AS - Haha, how far back do you want me to go? I was an untalented right medium bowler at club level for several years, before deciding to do a bit of coaching. I did some coaching of Horsham, here in Sussex, having players such as Martin Foot playing for me during that time. I moved to NRS Zimbabwe 6 years ago and coached the Rhinos. I obviously did well because I’ve been offered this job here!

MR - Just to verify for everyone at home, he has the suntan to prove it! Another from Mr. Cricket, ‘What sort of culture will you try to instil in the Sussex camp that will make them champions?’

AS - Good question! I want to make them ruthless, ready to win from any situation. I’m not afraid to try new things, either, so I don’t want them to be offended if I leave them out. It just means that they need to work harder in the nets to try and convince me to put them back in. Likewise, no-one’s position is safe, and every single member of the squad can get into the team if they try hard enough and show me just how good they are. There’s no point picking hero’s who can’t perform.

MR - And finally from the readers, one from a Mr.ab5ides1, who asks what you think about your competition? Who threatens you?

AS - Everyone does! Anyway, I would say that Yorkshire are the largest threat in any competition this season. They won the Pro40 last year, and beat us to second in the championship, as well as being runners up in the T20. They have some really great players. Their batsmen, for example Golley, a great opener, Cope, a good middle order player, the overseas experience of Rizwan behind the stumps, Munday, who looks extremely promising and Kitson, who I coached at Horsham, and is of course, a Sussex reject! In the bowling department also, they have Ant Tetley, who is, to put it bluntly, the best spinner in the land. I don’t know why England haven’t come knocking for him yet.

MR - How about Northants? They look a good one day side.

AS - They most certainly are a good side. Their bowling is probably the strongest in England with Callan and Roberts both being good quicks and 23 year old David Garret looking like a superb young all-rounder. I’d have him in my squad, certainly.

MR - In which case, Andy, I’d like to move on to the captaincy issue. We have about 5 minutes left, so who have you chosen?

AS - Looking around the squad, the captaincy has been a difficult decision for me. There are a lot of strong personalities in the squad, and a lot of candidates for the job of captain. My initial choice was Adil Rashid, but after he decided that he did not want the job after last time he took it, he had a say in my actual decision for captain.

MR - Which was?

AS - To choose James Harris as captain, with Paul Ewing as vice-captain.

MR - Hmm. Interesting. I didn’t actually have questions ready for a decision on Harris. I’ll make some up. Why did you choose him?

AS - Well, in my eyes he is a very similar man to Adil Rashid. He is a relatively strong character without being over the top in his ways of dealing with the other players. He seems to get on with all the players as well, something very important for the captain of any team. I feel I can work with him, as well.

MR - Do you think that the selection of Paul Ewing as vice-captain will jar with some of the players? He is, most certainly, a strong personality, but will this not hurt team morale?

AS - I don’t believe so, no. I think that Paul was treated a bit badly in the media under Carl, and he should really have stood up for him more in my opinion. Also, since the age of around 26 when he was a real troublemaker, he has mellowed, and now is just an experienced head who is also a very good county opener.

MR - Andy Sugden, thank you very much.

And thank you yet again, Martin Robinson. James Harris is most definitely a surprise. We shall have to wait to see how he does as captain. We'll be back with the squad in a month's time to see what the squad is for the first game against Lancashire.

- That was a long one, but Sugden has a lot of questions to answer!

 

[just_cricket]

Nice writing, mate. Nice to see my questions answered!
Not sure about having two keepers in one team, but Sugden does seem to have a bit of drive, which will be good for the team.
Looking forward to the start of the action!

 

[Imager36]

County Championship 2022 - Sussex vs. Lancashire

Lancashire, a strong side led by former England batsman Ravi Bopara, and also including one of the best county keeper batsmen, Tom Oddie, former Sussex opener Joe Gatting and Bangladeshi allrounder Suhrawadi Shuvo, are Sussex's first opponents this season. The teams lie below.​

Jim Wright
Paul Ewing
Alec Hodgson
Wayne Austerfield
Ben Bird
Adil Rashid
James Freshwater (K)
James Harris (C)
Glen Coddington
Anthony Hunt
Paul Bannister

Nick Cooke
Joe Gatting
Barry Fallis
Ravi Bopara (C)
Paul Sutherland
Tom Oddie (K)
Morris Cooke
Suhrawadi Shuvo
Peter Atkin
Tom Mansfield
Larry Ricketts

So, what does that team selection tell us about Sugden's attitudes towards his team?

- He feels that Freshwater is his best option as keeper
- He prefers Bannister to Warner in FC cricket
- He likes to have a team that bats a long way down (to 10 in this case)
- He wants a blend of youth (Austerfield, Bird) and experience (Hodgson)
- He doesn't have high confidence in Freshwater's batting (batting at 7)
- He likes Glen Coddington

So, we'll have to wait and see how the team fares, but the Lancashire side is strong, and may well pose a stiff challenge for Sugden and his side. The weather is set fair here in Hove, and the early season pitch most certainly has something in it.

 

[harrisb]

apologies if this question has an obvious answer, but what is 'the event'?

 

[Imager36]

apologies if this question has an obvious answer, but what is 'the event'?

Haha, whatever you want it to be. This sketch is what I took the name from, but it's far less serious than that. In summary, some kind of apocalyptic event which only affects around 1 in 100 of the population.

 

[MaD]

Excellent writing dude, I would really wanna follow this story but i'm not a fan of County Cricket, after this, you should have a go at an International story or somethin