Comment: Sussex transfer talk is off target (From The Argus)

Comment: Sussex transfer talk is off target

9:20pm Wednesday 19th September 2007

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The rumours around Hove about Sussex making a bid to sign Surrey all-rounder Rikki Clarke will not go away.

But I don't think it is going to happen.

With Robin Martin-Jenkins, Luke Wright and Ollie Rayner already on the staff, Sussex have plenty of options when it comes to all-rounders. Clarke would only come if he was guranteed first-team cricket, something a struggling Surrey side have not been able to give him this season.

Sussex's priority when it comes to team strengthening this winter has to be an experienced top order batsman and a proven seamer. Easier said than done of course, especially as the county struggle to compete with the Test match counties when it comes to attracting the best domestic talent. Losing a six-figure sum on the two summer concerts at the County Ground has not helped the finances.

A more likely route, even though chairman David Green is loathe to take it, is to sign a Kolpak player, especially if, as expected, the EU finalises a trade agreement with New Zealand and Australia to make players from down under available. Glamorgan seem set to take advantage by bringing former Aussie opener Matthew Elliott to Cardiff.

Reducing the number of overseas players from two to one next season is a mistake because it will weaken the Championship.

The ECB are right to take a stance about the number of non-English qualified players in the county game but they could have solved that by insisting teams selects a minimum of eight players available for England for each game.

If they do not, quality performers like Rana Naved, who is leaving Sussex at the end of this season, might end up plying his trade in the second division at somewhere like Leicestershire or Northants which is not the standard a player of his ability should be playing at.

SUSSEX'S Luke Wright has just discovered what it's like to play with the big boys.

And it has not been a pretty sight.

Wright's first three innings in the Twenty20 World Championship brought him three runs - all against Zimbabwe - and two ducks against South Africa and Australia.

He has found out, as a lot of people suspected, that biffing county trundlers out of the park is not great preparation for facing the likes of Brett Lee and Shaun Pollock.

Wright proved that he is capable of scoring runs at that level with that dashing 50 against India on his ODI debut earlier this month.

And, having got more exposure to international cricket in South Africa, I fully expect him to push on in the one-day series in Sri Lanka next month, batting a bit lower down the order.

As for James Kirtley, he would probably have settled for a flight back to England immediately after his solitary over in the tournament against a rampaging Matt Hayden went for 17 runs.

Sussex could certainly do with him this week, given the length of their injury list.

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