Two late wickets for Stuart Meaker put Sussex on the back foot with a day to go of their LV County Championship division two game at Guildford.

Trailing by 75 on first innings, openers Chris Nash and Ed Joyce knocked 38 off their arrears without too much trouble when Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown brought on Meaker in the eighth over.

In his second over he trapped Nash leg before with a nip-backer and three balls later a delivery that was full and straight proved too good for Monty Panesar, who collected his sixth duck in his last 15 Championship innings and third in the night-watchman's role.

Sussex closed on 39-2 but with a day to go and the pitch showing little sign of wear after the second-day washout a draw still seems the likely outcome.

Earlier, Sussex’s overseas bowler Yasir Arafat had taken 5-81 – his best figures for the county for more than four years.

The Pakistani picked up the key wickets of Mark Ramprakash (21) and skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown (22) before lunch and then returned after tea with the second new ball to sweep away Surrey’s tail.

It was a good morning for the leaders who picked up four wickets. Corey Collymore ended a first-wicket stand of 67 when Arun Harinath gloved his lifter to gully and Will Adkin claimed his maiden first-class victim when Tom Lancefield drove loosely and was also taken in the gully.

Ramprakash had looked well set until he played on and Hamilton-Brown hooked to mid-wicket but Surrey rallied after lunch during a stand of 89 in 26 overs between Steven Davies and Stewart Walters.

Davies rode his luck and was dropped on 15 and 23 but his aggressive stroke-play forced Sussex onto the defensive until he was leg before to Panesar’s arm ball which he was trying to work into the leg side. His 62 was his eighth half-century of the season and took him to within 16 of 1,000 first-class runs for the summer.

Panesar also picked up Walters for 45 when he drove loosely to mid on but Chris Tremlett hit straight sixes off both Panesar and off-spinner Ollie Rayner before Arafat returned and dragged Sussex back into contention with three wickets in as many overs.

Gareth Batty (19) mis-timed a hook to deep mid-wicket while Rayner snapped up Tremlett (28) and Jade Dernbach (0) with low catches at second slip.