Rory Burns’ side travel to Hove to face Sussex in search of their first Rothesay County Championship victory of the season.
The two sides haven’t met in first-class cricket at Hove since 2010. At the Kia Oval, Surrey were victorious in the most recent first-class clash during the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy.
Play gets underway at 11:00am on each day. Tickets can be purchased in advance here. Tickets purchased in advance will be cheaper and will help avoid unnecessary queues at the gate.
SURREY SQUAD
Surrey have named a 14-player squad for the trip to the south coast. Gus Atkinson, Cam Steel and Ollie Sykes come into the squad for the first time this season.
As an England-contracted player, Jamie Smith’s playing time is being managed by the national side, and thus, he will be unavailable for this fixture. Tom Lawes remains sidelined with injury.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH PLAY?
The match will be broadcast live on Sussex’s YouTube channel, with a link posted on the Surrey Match Centre and social media channels.
Surrey Cricket’s social media channels will provide live updates from Hove, with clips and highlights posted throughout the day. A written report and highlights will be available at the end of each day’s play.
LAST TIME OUT
Surrey drew with Hampshire in their opening home match of the 2025 season. Dom Sibley scored his first of two centuries in the match as he carried his bat with Surrey being bowled out for 253 in the first innings. Dan Worrall and Jordan Clark took three wickets apiece as Surrey bowled Hampshire out for 219.
Sibley scored his second century of the match as Surrey piled on 342 runs in the third innings. He was well supported by Ollie Pope (65) and Jamie Smith (84). Young Hampshire quick Sonny Baker took five wickets at the end of the innings as Surrey looked to accelerate the scoring.
Hampshire needed 377 runs to win with over three sessions left in the match. Surrey made early inroads, taking three wickets in the final session on the third day. Gubbins (117) and Albert (78) steadied the ship for the visitors, taking them towards the draw on the final day. The teams shook hands with Hampshire 300/5.
SUSSEX
Previewed by Bruce Talbot – ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: John Simpson
Head Coach: Paul Fabrace
2024 finish: Champions (Division Two)
2024 highest run-scorer: John Simpson (1197)
2024 highest wicket-taker: Jack Carson (50)
Key winter moves: Ex-Somerset top-order batter George Thomas spent part of the winter working for a power-tool company in Melbourne. Farbrace regards him as a player with unfulfilled potential. After trials in January, another 21-year-old signed in slow left-armer Troy Henry whose wages for the first year of his contract will be paid by the ACE programme. Medium-fast bowler Nantes Oosthuizen, nurtured at Seaford College by former skipper Chris Adams, joined on a rookie contract.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: Once again Paul Farbrace has recruited a group of solid, proven overseas players with Dan Hughes, Jayden Seales, Nathan McAndrew and Jaydev Unadkat all returning for a second – and in Unadkat’s case third – season while Australian seamer Gurinder Sandhu arrives during June and July. Their contributions will be pivotal to hopes of staying up and having another good run in the Blast, where they were semi-finalists last year.
Player to watch: Opener Tom Haines, who signed a new three-year deal in the winter, averages 37.60 and has made 4,588 first-class runs but none of them against Division One attacks. If he can flourish against better bowlers – and there’s never been any doubt about his technique or temperament – then it will help Sussex’s chances of establishing themselves in Division One a lot and perhaps enhance his claims for a Test place as well.
Final thought: Sussex return to Division One after a ten-year absence and Paul Farbrace has targeted a top-four finish. He’ll have a better idea of whether that’s achievable after the first month when Sussex face Warwickshire, Surrey, Somerset and Nottinghamshire – all established top-flight counties. There shouldn’t be many concerns about their bowling attack, but can Sussex score enough runs? Contributions from skipper John Simpson and a strong middle order may be crucial again.
LAST TIME OUT VS SUSSEX
The most recent first-class clash between the sides was in the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy at the Kia Oval. Surrey won the match by six wickets, with spin bowler Dan Moriarty taking 11 wickets.
Dan Moriarty took five wickets as Sussex put on 415 in the first innings, with opener Tom Haines scoring 117. Surrey responded with 388, with Rory Burns scoring 103. Will Jacks (84) and new-signing Jamie Overton (55) took Surrey close to the Sussex total.
Surrey’s spin bowlers Moriarty (6/70) and Virdi (4/40) skittled Sussex for 128, leaving Surrey needing 157 to win, which they achieved four down thanks to Burns’ 52.
