When you hold the record for the highest scores in Test and first-class cricket, there are not too many things left to achieve in the game.

But forget 400 against England in Antigua in April or even 501 for Warwickshire ten years ago. Brian Lara won't have walked out to start an innings at 10.20 in the evening before. That was the scenario he faced at Hove on Saturday.

The brilliant left-hander only batted for 17 minutes as he helped ease West Indies to a confidence-boosting six-wicket win over Sussex in a match ruined by two early-evening downpours.

By the time Lara ambled down the dressing room steps, only about a tenth of the near full-house crowd of 3,500 were left in the ground, made up of those hoping for a glimpse of what might be Lara's last innings in the county or youngsters desperate for the world's best batsman to sign their miniature cricket bats or programmes. Most would have gone home happy.

The kids got their autographs and there was a brief cameo from Lara whose 15 not out included one awesome, effortless six over long on off Michael Yardy, hit with minimum backlift but maximum power.

Shiv Chanderpaul made an unbeaten 71 after opener Chris Gayle set the tone with 57 as West Indies made surprisingly easy work of a target of 181 from 23 Duckworth-Lewis overs.

All three left-handers are going to have a key role on the bigger stages this summer and Sussex skipper Chris Adams believes they could struggle to compete with New Zealand, never mind England, when the NatWest one-day series begins later this week.

"It seems strange to a batsman of my generation not to be facing outstanding fast bowlers of the likes of Marshall, Walsh and Ambrose anymore," said Adams.

"Tino Best is exciting and the crowds will love him this summer, but with Fidel Edwards injured they seem to have very little else bowling-wise.

"Chris Gayle up front hits the ball really hard, but Lara and Chanderpaul, who is a great improviser, are going to have to bat extremely well on a regular basis or they could struggle to win a game."

Best bowled a fiery spell with the new ball, tearing into a strong breeze. The Barbadian's radar was too wonky too often, but English crowds will love his confrontational style and he will doubtless get up a few batsmen's noses.

Best did return to have Robin Martin-Jenkins caught off a top-edged pull in his second spell, but the rest of the tourists' bowling was no better than an average county attack and after a lacklustre fielding display, you would have been forgiven for thinking this was their last game on tour rather than the first.

One spectator got it about right when he began a chorus of: "Are you Zimbabwe in disguise?"

Sussex took advantage to make 292-6 from their 50 overs.

Murray Goodwin maintained his improvement in form with 90 off 94 balls (11x4, 1x6) and was furious with himself after toe-ending a pull to mid-wicket when his first hundred of the season was in sight.

And Sussex supporters were heartened by Tim Ambrose's unbeaten 79 from 87 deliveries (8x4, 1x6), only his second half-century in any format this season.

There were still 27 overs left when Ambrose joined Goodwin which gave him ample time to get used to a slow pitch and build a score. In the crucial middle phase of the innings, where Sussex have too often lost momentum in one-day games this season, he helped Goodwin put on 99 in 16 overs before accelerating at the end, smashing a further 29 runs after reaching his half-century in the 46th over.

The first rain of any note for weeks fell during the interval, causing an 80-minute delay, and there was only time for 3.3 overs before another shower. James Kirtley removed Devon Smith and Ramnarash Sarwan in the space of three deliveries during that mini session to reduce West Indies to 12-2.

When they came back out at 9.20pm, the target was an improbable 163 in 19.3 overs, but Gayle pummelled a half-century off just 38 balls (7x4, 2x6) and when he was trapped in front by Robin Martin-Jenkins, Chanderpaul took up the challenge against the inexperienced element of Sussex's attack.

Between them, Yardy, Luke Wright, Carl Hopkinson and Mark Davis disappeared for 62 in four overs, Chanderpaul reaching 50 off 51 balls with his second six, a sublimely-timed pick-up over square leg off Yardy which landed ten rows back on the upper tier of the pavilion.

Fittingly perhaps, it was left to Lara to hit the winning runs with two overs remaining.

Adams admitted in normal circumstances he would have been reluctant to field after the second downpour left the outfield soggy and the ball sopping wet.

"I felt we had to try and give the crowd who had stayed on some entertainment, but if it had been a League or Championship game I would have been disappointed to have had to field in those conditions," he said.

"The ball was soaking wet, which took (off-spinner) Mark Davis out of the game, and I wouldn't want to come down too hard on our bowlers.

"But I was pleased with the way we batted. Murray looks back to his best and I would say that is Tim's best one-day innings since he got fifty on his debut against Lancashire in 2001.

"I'm delighted for him because he has been working hard and this will boost his confidence."

Sussex switch attention to their Championship defence against Gloucestershire at Arundel on Wednesday when they should have both Ian Ward and Mohammad Akram back in their side.

Ward took another blow on the left hand he injured three weeks ago in the nets and was not risked on Saturday while Akram was with his heavily pregnant wife.