Time will tell whether Sussex can make a successful Championship defence this season.

They will go pretty close, however, if they can match the intensity of their performance on the opening day at Hove.

The difficulties which affected their pre-season build-up were soon forgotten as the bowlers tore into Kent.

Jason Lewry, who was only playing because Robin Martin-Jenkins pulled out with flu, set the tone with two wickets in three balls.

Lewry was just the warm-up act though. Just before noon Mushtaq Ahmed removed his sweater and bowled his first ball in first-class cricket since December 10.

Less than four hours later he had that same sweater draped around his shoulders and was receiving yet another standing ovation from the Hove crowd.

He took 6-74 - his 32nd five-wicket haul for Sussex in his 65th match - and it included his 1,300th first-class victim.

On a flat pitch, Kent were dismissed for 216 after Rob Key had won the toss and Sussex resumed today in a strong position on 138-1.

Mind you, where Kent batsmen are concerned Mushtaq would fancy wreaking havoc on the surface of the moon.

He has taken 87 wickets against them in Championship cricket - more than any other county - and he would be well on his way to three figures had he not missed last July's meeting at Hove with a bad neck.

He came into this game having had just a week of net practice.

It took him just 22 balls to break through when Joe Denly's promising start was curtailed as he prodded a googly into the hands of short leg.

Jones lasted just nine deliveries then failed to pick the googly and had his off stump flattened.

Simon Cook and Yasir Arafat could not pick the wrong 'un either while Min Patel and Ryan McLaren, who top-scored with 44, were both beaten in the flight coming down the pitch to hit over the top. Job done.

Chris Adams is convinced Sussex have an attack for all conditions and if his bowlers get close to this sort of collective effort on a regular basis he could have a selection problem every rival captain would envy.

Luke Wright was not required to bowl and there could be a case for playing an extra batsman if their four main bowlers can share the burden as well as they did yesterday.

Like Mushtaq, Lewry has not had a pre-season to speak of after being laid low by a virus. He was desperate to play though, not least because if he is going to prolong his career beyond this season he cannot afford to miss matches.

It took him just five overs to break through and then he snapped up Key and Martin van Jaarsveld in three balls, both victims of the left-armer's stock-in-trade inswinger.

The sight of Rana Naved racing down the slope must have been as reassuring for Sussex supporters as Mushtaq wheeling away at the other end.

It seemed every time you tuned into cricket on the TV this winter Rana was getting belted around the park by South Africa's batsmen.

He is an attacking bowler who will be expensive on occasions but he deserved more reward yesterday than the wicket of Darren Stevens, caught high off the bat by third slip from a delivery which climbed on him.

Matt Walker, always a key wicket, fenced at James Kirtley and Kent were eventually dismissed in 59.3 overs. It would have been earlier but for a last wicket stand of 35 between Robbie Joseph and McLaren.

McLaren, Kent's new South African Kolpak signing, bowled a couple of decent spells and the ball swung all day but Kent's attack could not maintain the consistent lines that Sussex's had.

Carl Hopkinson fell to a top-edged pull but Richard Montgomerie and Chris Nash played watchfully after that.

With two inexperienced players in the top three, Montgomerie's know-how is going to be important in the early weeks of the season so a carefully-crafted half-century will have given him a real confidence boost.

So far the second wicket pair have added 112 with power to add today.

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