Yardy wants competition for places (From The Argus)

Yardy wants competition for places

9:30am Tuesday 10th January 2012 in Cricket News By Howard Griggs

Skipper Michael Yardy has challenged his Sussex players to shine in the Caribbean.

Sussex launch their preparations for the new season with the opening game of the Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament in Antigua later today.

Yardy wants a predominantly young squad to force their way into his thinking for the season ahead.

He believes if individuals show sufficient improvement then the team can look forward to a successful 2012.

Yardy said: “First and foremost we are out there to win. That is always the message but with that you have youngsters who are trying to stake a claim.

“You are just looking for people to show they have made an improvement. Whether you are 35 or 18, you just want to see improvement. If everyone is improving as an individual we are going to improve as a team so that is quite important.

“You want a squad where, with injuries or lack of form, you can pull in anyone at any time. That is where we are getting to now.

“Guys like Joe Gatting came into the team last year and did well. Matt Machan played a couple of games and scored a couple of 50s so I have ultimate confidence in everyone who comes in and plays.”

Sussex are in group B of the ten-team competition. They face Netherlands this season, then Jamaica on Thursday, Combined Campuses and Colleges on Saturday before finishing against Barbados in Bridgetown next Wednesday.

Group A features Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands, Guyana, Leeward Islands and Canada. The top two from each group will quality for the knockout semi-finals a week on Saturday.

Yardy is hoping for a good season in all formats, not just Twenty20. He said: “It is just a case of taking one step at a time, building momentum early on, getting the basics right. They are all clichés but they are all important.

“If you get your basics right and make sure the dressing room is a good place to be and things start to happen and success starts to come.”

Sussex (from): Yardy, Adkin, Khan, Anyon, Beer, Brown, Gatting, Naved Arif, Hodd, Liddle, Machan, Nash, Wernars.

More Sussex cricket in The Argus today.