Robinson: We must be more ruthless (From The Argus)

Robinson: We must be more ruthless

12:37pm Friday 3rd October 2008 in

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Coach Mark Robinson believes his Sussex side need “some more ruthlessness” if they are to challenge for the Championship again.

Robinson is hoping to improve his squad “with one strong character” and says their overseas player next season will probably be a fast bowler.

He said: “I feel we need some more ruthlessness in the squad, at least one strong character who can support (new captain) Mike Yardy and we have things in place which will allow us to do that.

“Very few players move counties and they do so for different reasons. Some move because they want to be part of an ethos and vision and I feel we have a chance of doing something.”

The coach also concedes that Sussex have to find a different way of winning games now that Mushtaq Ahmed has retired.

“The reality is that without Mushtaq or Rana Naved we have no ‘get out of jail’ cards and we have to be at it as a team a lot more than in the past,” he added.

“In previous years we could be off it and Mushy would get us a five-for and bail us out.

“I’m a huge optimist about how far we can go but we might have to do it a different way. We’d love a Muralitharan-type spinner but 17 other counties would love a player like that.

“We’d like a fast bowler. (Mohammad) Sami showed the value of pace in the three games he played so he is a possibility.”

Robinson believes the county need a bigger squad to cope with the changing domestic structure, which will see two Twenty20 competitions take place in 2010 when the season is not expected to finish until October. “We are having to create a squad which can cope with a lot more scenarios while trying to win trophies,” he added.

“We have to have a bigger and more flexible squad. Without down-grading the Championship, one-day cricket is becoming increasingly important and in an ideal world we are trying to get to a situation like England where we have players who play in one and not the other.

Four Sussex players – Caroline Atkins, Holly Colvin, Laura Marsh and Sarah Taylor – have been included in the England squad for the 2009 women’s World Cup in Australia.