Sussex County Cricket Club have announced their squad to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi next week for their pre-season preparations.

– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for two at Media Rotana
– Mixed joy for Alubond Tigers in Arabian Cricket League T20
– Lancashire unveil squad selection for Emirates Airline T20 Cup

The squad fly out to the UAE next Tuesday and will play in the Emirates Airline T20 2015 Tournament, attempting to defend the title they have won for the past three seasons.

In this year’s tournament they will take on the MCC in the semi-final, who can include Yuvraj Singh, Alastair Cook, Michael Carberry and Nick Compton amongst their impressive ranks.

The winners will then face either Lancashire or Yorkshire in the final, who clash in a Roses battle in the semis.

The tour’s primary objective is obviously to be ready for the start of the new season with a programme of training sessions planned in all formats, including a two-day game against County Champions Yorkshire.

There will also be 50-over matches against the UAE and MCC Young Cricketers, as well as a T20 match against an MCCU XI. In terms of Sussex’s squad, Matt Prior is unavailable for the trip as he continues his rehabilitation from his achilles injury.

Ed Joyce, Matt Machan and Chris Jordan have all been playing for their respective countries in the ICC Cricket World Cup and won’t be involved in this tour.

Young all-rounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice is recovering from a metacarpal fracture which will keep him out for at least the first month of the new season, however the remainder of Sussex’s squad are all available for the trip, and newly-appointed NatWest T20 Blast captain Luke Wright will get the chance to lead the Sharks for the first time, in the Emirates Airline T20. 

Sussex’s squad for the trip is as follows: JE Anyon, WAT Beer, BC Brown, C Cachopa, HZ Finch, LJ Hatchett, ME Hobden, CF Jackson, CJ Liddle, SJ Magoffin, TS Mills, CD Nash, SA Piolet, A Shahzad, LWP Wells, LJ Wright, MH Yardy, SAA Zaidi.