Amjad Khan gave Sussex the perfect start to the County Championship season at The Oval today - but Surrey hit back to leave the game in the balance.

Khan took 5-57 on a bitterly cold day as Sussex bowled out Surrey for 264 on the first day of the division one clash, Tom Maynard providing the only real resistance with an unbeaten 86.

Sussex lost Ed Joyce second ball of their reply and Surrey further wrestled the initiative back from the visitor by dismissing Luke Wells, Chris Nash, Murray Goodwin and Mike Yardy before the close.

Although Amjad grabbed the headlines a lot of the credit must go to Naved Arif who got Sussex off to a fine start after skipper Mike Yardy put Surrey in on a day when the floodlights were on from 11am, such was the gloom.

The Pakistani removed three of the top five - including Jacques Rudolph with his ninth ball for a duck - to finish with figures of 3-56.

Arif also claimed the scalp of Zander de Bruyn for 52 after he threatened to swing the momentum back in Surrey's favour following partnerships of 68 with Mark Ramprakash and 40 with Rory Hamilton-Brown.

Surrey were in deep trouble at 124-5 at one stage and had to thank Maynard for limiting the damage as he finished unbeaten on 86 from 101 balls.

Amjad cleaned up the tail by picking up four of the last five wickets to fall to claim his first five-wicket haul for the county.

Ed Joyce fell second ball in reply before Nash and Wells added 60 for the second wicket.

Wells was bowled for 32 by Jade Dernbach who also cleaned up Goodwin while Nash fell to Stuart Meaker and when Yardy edged to slip off the final ball it left Sussex in trouble at 105-5 at the close.