Frequent heavy showers prevented any chance of a positive outcome for Sussex during their visit to Leicestershire in the Vitality County Championship. As a result, no play was possible on the final scheduled day of their Division Two match.
Skipper John Simpson's first double century had placed Sussex in a favourable position on day three. The day ended with Leicestershire 270 runs behind at 86 for 1 in their second innings after Sussex had declared at 694 for 9 just after tea, giving them a lead of 356 on the first innings.
Due to a saturated outfield that delayed the start on day four, the match was abandoned as a draw shortly before 1pm. The combination of more showers and safety concerns raised by attempting to remove the covering sheets in winds gusting to gale force left umpires James Middlebrook and Paul Pollard with little choice.
Paul Farbrace, Sussex's coach, said:
"It's disappointing, but looking at it another way, we've had three days of good cricket. The groundstaff did brilliantly to get us on considering the outfield is very soft and they've had a lot of rain here, like everywhere else. It was a shame for both sides that it couldn't be finished in the way both sides would have wanted, but I guess that's cricket in April.”
Leicestershire's coach, Alfonso Thomas, stated that his team's bowling attack was 'undercooked' due to the absence of Josh Hull, who is yet to return from injury, Rehan Ahmed, who is on a pilgrimage, and Chris Wright, who is absent for 'personal reasons'.
Thomas acknowledged that the bowlers worked hard for a long period, but due to the team's poor pre-season, they were not at their best.
He suggested that the ECB reconsider their decision to introduce the Kookaburra ball for four rounds of the Championship season. Thomas argued that the Kookaburra ball has made average batters look very good, which is not beneficial for the game. He questioned whether getting rid of average bowlers in the English game is worth this trade-off. Thomas argued that the Kookaburra ball has made average batters look very good, which is not beneficial for the game.
Both sides have drawn two matches so far. Sussex may be more frustrated as they were unable to convert a winning position against Northamptonshire at Hove last week due to weather conditions.
Sussex earned 14 points from this match, bringing their total to 29 from two matches. Leicestershire earned 12 points, increasing their early-season total to 25.