On a pitch that was under water on Monday, it was hardly surprising that scoring runs was not easy. It was probably the uncertainty about what a pitch abused in this way will do after a few days' cricket that lead Surrey to include a reserve Pakistan Test spinner. This despite the fact that many of the Surrey faithful, and not a few followers of their South Coast neighbours, may have wondered why another leg-spinner was needed.

Put in to bat by Sussex, Surrey failed to score even one batting point for the first time this season. When this fate has threatened in recent years, Martin Bicknell or Ian Salisbury have usually been on hand to rescue the innings, but neither was in the team today.

At first, staying in did not appear to be likely to pose any problems, even if run-scoring could. Jonathan Batty and Ian Ward were only parted when the wicket-keeper was run-out by a direct hit from Kevin Innes in the covers. Then Mark Ramprakash and Ward continued with a mixture of defence and occassional belligerence before Ward was caught half-forward by Billy Taylor.

Ramprakash and an unusually subdued Nadeem Shahid soon followed, but Alistair Brown, after a careful start, decided that playing his natural game was the best option. So it proved, until a ball from Jamie Kirtley moved away enough to turn a hit through midwicket into a practice catch at cover. Neither Adam Hollioake nor Rikki Clarke had been able to continue their recent superb form, and a very un-Surreylike tail collapse saw Innes register career-best figures.

Ed Giddins had Richard Montgomerie caught in the leg-trap off his very first ball, and Murray Goodwin offered no shot to a ball from Alex Tudor that cut back sharply and bowled him. Chris Adams and Philip Cottey were performing a rescue act until Batty ran Cottey out.

Giddins returned to have Adams caught, although Ramprakash and Mushtaq Ahmed almost contrived to miss what should have been a relatively simple catch; in the end, Mushtaq had to make it a very good one. On a seaming pitch and in gathering gloom, Tudor was too much of a handful for Tim Ambrose (caught at extra cover) and Matthew Prior (second slip).

Innes and Mark Davis were staging a good recovery but had little hesitation in accepting the offer of light. Soon after, heavy rain confirmed that play had ended for the day, with only the weather looking like extending this game into the weekend.

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