Coach Mark Robinson says Sussex are in good shape ahead of the start of their title defence.

The county rounded off pre-season preparations by drawing with MCC at Lord's yesterday. Chasing an improbable 368 to win from 49 overs they were 121-4 when the players shook hands after 34 overs.

The squad will train today when the remaining selection issues ahead of the Hove opener against Kent tomorrow will be settled.

Rana Naved is due to arrive from Pakistan overnight and, assuming he is fit, will play. Neither Mushtaq Ahmed or Jason Lewry have had any competitive cricket in pre-season but, providing Robinson and skipper Chris Adams are satisfied with their fitness, they will also be involved.

Robinson said: "Apart from the injury to Mike Yardy, it has been a good four days.

"I think the experienced players have shown why they are just that and I have learned a lot about the youngsters, some of it good and some bad.

"I thought we bowled outstandingly on day three. Chris Liddle, Luke Wright and Ollie Rayner competed a lot better than they did in the first innings and we deserved a bit more luck and a few more wickets.

"Mushtaq and Jason bowled again in the nets yesterday and we will make a decision about them today which is when we really start preparing for the Kent game."

Winning was never in the equation once MCC delayed their declaration until 30 minutes after lunch but Sussex could have been embarrassed after they lost three quick wickets.

They were rescued by Matt Prior and Andrew Hodd who took Sussex to safety with a stand of 81 for the fourth wicket.

In the absence of Yardy, for at least the next month, Sussex need as many inningsbuilders as possible in their top six so it was encouraging to see Prior get his head down.

It took him 49 balls to get to 30 which is slow by his standards and he proceeded cautiously, particularly against Matthew Hoggard, early on.

Hodd offered good support and it was only when Prior knew the game was safe that he expanded his strokeplay, rocking onto the back foot to cut Adil Rashid for successive boundaries before hoisting the leg spinner high into the rows of empty white seats in the upper deck of the Grandstand.

Prior was caught behind attempting another cut three short of his half-century but he had done his job and so had Sussex.

Earlier in the day and with no sign of an early declaration, acting captain Prior - Sussex's third skipper before the season has started - allowed off-spinner Rayner to have a long spell.

Rayner sent down 39 overs and bowled unchanged from the pavilion end after coming on at 3.30pm on Sunday.

Robinson wants Rayner, who is in his second year on the staff, to kick on this season.

His opportunites in Championship cricket will be limited, especially when Saqlain Mushtaq is available, but he could have a role to play in the one-day side.

Maintaining disciplined lines on a slow pitch against as good a player of spin as Owais Shah were positive signs and Rayner did take the only wicket before MCC finally pulled out when he beat Alex Gidman in the flight as he came down the pitch.

Shah used it as an extended net, advancing to the 29th first-class century of his career.

The Middlesex man added 104 with Gidman for the fifth wicket and his 120 came off 238 balls with 14 fours.

The declaration left Sussex with a notional target but their first objective was to survive the new ball without losing any more batsmen to the infirmary.

Harmison bowled just four overs at three-quarters pace but the damage to Sussex's top order was done from the other end.

Hoggard swung the new ball to claim two wickets. Carl Hopkinson, on the back foot, edged one that moved away late to slip and an inswinger accounted for Murray Goodwin, who was offering no shot.

Chris Nash was frustratingly strangled down the leg side by Gidman and at 30-3, effectively 30-4 with Yardy a frustrated onlooker with his arm in a sling, Sussex were in danger of a morale-sapping defeat before Prior and Hodd joined forces.

The start was delayed until 12.15 after an underground sprinkler ten yards from the wicket malfunctioned and water leaked onto the pitch.

Quite why it took six groundstaff members and what looked like an industrial hairdryer 75 minutes to dry a damp patch about two foot square is anyone's guess. But the punters, who paid £12 a ticket, deserved better.

If Robinson was unhappy that MCC delayed their declaration until there was no chance of a result then he was not saying.

But again, the paying public were short-changed.

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