According to George Dobell in The Cricketer, Dan Mousley and OH-D both needed scans on hand injuries but will be fit for Friday's game. Chris Woakes has an ankle injury and won't be fit until the Yorkshire game (earliest), which is when Latham may also arrive.
Hamza Shaikh will bat at three and Kai Smith will keep wicket and bat at seven.
Fernando will be available to join the bowling attack and Ethan Bamber will also make his Bears debut.
Jacob Bethell is tied up with the IPL so is not available.
Chris Rushworth has a calf problem and is unlikely to be fit for a while.
The only question seems to be whether Danny Briggs will play as a spinner or, if not, who will be added to the pace attack - maybe Michael Booth.
So it looks like:
Davies and Yates to open (sorry, Highveld), Shaikh, Hain, Mousley, Barnard, K. Smith, Briggs or Booth, Fernando, Bamber and OH-D.

Tempted to WFP

Work From Pavilion

BosworthBear wrote:

Tempted to WFP

Work From Pavilion

Likewise !

I do think Bosworth Bear and AJones should have put the word Work in inverted commas!!

Enjoy the day both of you.

LeicesterExile wrote:

I do think Bosworth Bear and AJones should have put the word Work in inverted commas!!

Enjoy the day both of you.

Quite right ! I only work half days on Fridays so I can start early haha

Here's my match preview:
https://deepextracover.com/2025/04/rothesay-cc-match-preview-warwickshire-v-sussex/

Excited to see Hamza and Kai play, but there is still a Will Rhodes shaped hole in that XI for me with both bat and ball.

I think there is an even bigger Burgess shaped hole in the batting lineup. For someone so inexperienced Smith has a lot to do to fill that hole.

Dry weather recently could mean a bat friendly wicket.

OHD out for a month according to the official X account. Not good news at all.

So that's no Latham, OHD, Woakes, Rushworth, guessing bowling attack will be Bamber, Fernando, Booth or Simmons, Briggs, Barnard. Hope we win the toss and bat!!

Bat for 2 days, max batting points, get out with a draw. It worked last year. sort of.

Squads up, 14 man. Looks like a shootout between Booth and Simmons. Taz Ali and Lintott are in the squad though...Smith obviously keeping, all the batters who we expected to be there are there. Simmons has impressed pre season apparently.

Miles must be miles off it to not even get in the squad here.

Trying to be optimistic but I worry with that squad..here's hoping !

Have a feeling its going to be a good year for Hain

Andy wrote:

Squads up, 14 man. Looks like a shootout between Booth and Simmons. Taz Ali and Lintott are in the squad though...Smith obviously keeping, all the batters who we expected to be there are there. Simmons has impressed pre season apparently.

Miles must be miles off it to not even get in the squad here.

Yep, the 14 are:-
Davies
Taz Ali
Bamber
Barnard
Booth
Briggs
Fernando
Hain
Lintott
Mousley
Shaikh
Simmons
Smith
Yates

I reckon the 3 to miss out are most likely to be Ali, Lintott & Simmons, but I'd give Jake L a go, instead of Briggs (he's failed once too often in the CC).

The_Lickey_Banker wrote:

Andy wrote:

Squads up, 14 man. Looks like a shootout between Booth and Simmons. Taz Ali and Lintott are in the squad though...Smith obviously keeping, all the batters who we expected to be there are there. Simmons has impressed pre season apparently.

Miles must be miles off it to not even get in the squad here.

Yep, the 14 are:-
Davies
Taz Ali
Bamber
Barnard
Booth
Briggs
Fernando
Hain
Lintott
Mousley
Shaikh
Simmons
Smith
Yates

I reckon the 3 to miss out are most likely to be Ali, Lintott & Simmons, but I'd give Jake L a go, instead of Briggs (he's failed once too often in the CC).

Yes would definitely go for Lintott. Deserves a chance and offers something different. We also have Yates who can do a job

The_Lickey_Banker wrote:

Andy wrote:

Squads up, 14 man. Looks like a shootout between Booth and Simmons. Taz Ali and Lintott are in the squad though...Smith obviously keeping, all the batters who we expected to be there are there. Simmons has impressed pre season apparently.

Miles must be miles off it to not even get in the squad here.

Yep, the 14 are:-
Davies
Taz Ali
Bamber
Barnard
Booth
Briggs
Fernando
Hain
Lintott
Mousley
Shaikh
Simmons
Smith
Yates

I reckon the 3 to miss out are most likely to be Ali, Lintott & Simmons, but I'd give Jake L a go, instead of Briggs (he's failed once too often in the CC).

Yes would definitely go for Lintott. Deserves a chance and offers something different. We also have Yates who can do a job

Sussex are stacked with left handers so a spin combo of Lintott and Yates with a bit of Mousley thrown in might work. Mousley has a decent record v left handers albeit in white ball cricket.

Hardly Westwood's dream start as coach. Whoever we pick as bowlers, the tail looks horrible. With no OHD and no Rushworth, the seam bowling is in the hands of debutants and Booth (plus Barnard of course) which doesn't fill me full of confidence. Thank goodness we're playing one of the promoted sides.

Would like to see Simmons as looked quite promising in the one game he played against Essex last year. Jofra-esque. Will bow down if Booth is better prepared in pre-season though. Think Briggs will get the spinner spot. If it was just bowling would prefer Lintott but it's a long tail without Briggs at eight.

Good luck to the Bears today and for the rest of the season.

I have faith in Westwood, and hoping for a better season in the Championship.

I think Briggs will play and bat at 8, just to strengthen the tail. I'm predicting a Bears win to get us off to a good start.