Sussex coach Mark Robinson insists the Kevin Pietersen sideshow will not distract his side from the job of trying to reach the last four of the CB40.

Pietersen plays his second game of a loan spell with Surrey in tomorrow’s Group A finale at Hove (12.45pm).

He was left out of the England squad for the one-day series against Pakistan and has joined Surrey until the end of the season to try to find some form ahead of this winter’s Ashes.

Pietersen made 38 on his debut in Wednesday’s CB40 defeat to Worcestershire, a result which has virtually ended Surrey’s hopes of reaching the last four.

In particular, Sussex will be desperate to give James Kirtley a proper send-off as he plays his last game at Hove before retiring after 16 seasons with the county.

Robinson said: “The good thing is it’s a live game for both sides and certainly one we need to win.

“It is obviously good for the club from a selling point of view because it is James’s last game and now KP is playing too.

“But it won’t be a distraction for us and in particular James. He has always been the ultra professional and he will want to put in a good performance.”

Whether it is Kirtley’s last game in a Sussex shirt depends on other results.

Yorkshire and Somerset have both booked their semi-final places and the winners of Warwickshire versus Notts will join them leaving the rest, including Sussex, to battle it out for the one remaining spot for the second-placed team with the best record.

Sussex will be without Mike Yardy and Luke Wright after they joined up with the England squad today ahead of the one-day series against Pakistan.

Sussex (from): Nash, Joyce, Gatting, Prior, Goodwin, Hodd, Arafat, Rayner, Panesar, Kirtley, Liddle, Brown, Thornely.

Read Chris Nash's exclusive column and how Luke Wright is gunning for a place on the Ashes tour in The Argus today