Paul Farbrace allayed fears over the Northampton pitch as 22 wickets went down in a day.

The Sussex head coach will tell his batters to play their own games as they look to build a commanding lead on day two of their Vitality County Championship second division fixture.

Sussex made 143, bowled out Northants for just 97 and then reached 83-2 by close of play for a lead of 129.

Farbrace took a good look at the surface at both lunch and tea.

He said: “What we've said all day to our batters, and certainly from lunchtime onwards, is you need to bat how you feel that you’re likely to score runs on that pitch.

“If you take the Jack Carson approach, which is super positive, or you take the Tom Alsop approach, he got caught behind down the leg side the first innings, but he has played very straight, he's looked to line the ball up nicely.

“He's let the ball come to him.

“Dan Hughes used his feet a lot more to the seamers.

“Tom Haines played brilliantly, he played exceptionally, played the way that he can play, but Alsop played his own way. I think that's the important thing.

“There's no point saying everyone has to play the same way.

“It's what suits you to play the way that you think gives you the best chance of scoring runs.

“I don't think it's a shocking pitch by any means.

“I don't think it's one of those where you think, ‘I've got to swing and try and get 20 before the ball gets me out’.

“I think if you bat properly on it, you can bat on it. But it is tough.

“When you get the ball in the right place, and the slips are catching well, then you've got a chance to take wickets.”