THE SUSSEX coach Mark Robinson spoke yesterday about the effect that the death of the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer at the World Cup in March has had on his star leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed. Mushtaq, whose 16 championship wickets this season have cost nearly 40 apiece – one of the main reasons for Sussex’s poor start to their title defence – was Woolmer’s assistant when he died of suspected murder in Kingston, Jamaica, and Robinson said Mushtaq was yet to regain his “peace of mind”.

Life did look a little brighter for the county champions as Murray Goodwin, who hit a double-century to go with his first-innings hundred, and Chris Adams, with 102 not out, put on an unbroken 253 to avert a hat-trick of innings defeats. But the news that Mushtaq’s home in Lahore, where his wife, Uzma, and four children are currently housed, has been under constant siege from journalists since Woolmer’s death explained why he has been off-colour.

“Mushy is still getting phone calls about Bob Woolmer every day,” said Robinson. “It’s affected his game massively. He came back from the Caribbean with a cloud over his head and he hasn’t been allowed to move on. He went back to Pakistan recently for three days to try to spend time with his family because he hadn’t had any time with them, but there are six or seven pressmen who won’t leave his house at all. He is a strong character but he hasn’t got peace of mind.”

Mushtaq’s state of mind is just one of the reasons identified for the innings defeats by Warwickshire and Kent, as well as the fact that Sussex were made to follow on here by a Surrey side who have been struggling themselves. Mike Yardy is not expected to return for another week after having a finger broken by Steve Harmison during the season’s curtain-raiser against the MCC, while Jason Lewry missed the game against Warwickshire with a pulled muscle. A single wicket in 88 overs for James Kirtley has not helped either.

So concerned has Robinson been that the Sussex players last week visited the Royal Alexandra children’s hospital in Brighton to remind them, as the coach put it, how to “fight to the last breath”. On this evidence, it was not a waste of time. Resuming on 35 for two, Sussex still needed 226 runs to make Surrey bat again, but Goodwin unfurled an array of cross-batted boundaries as the visitors’ attack looked less threatening by the over. He lost Chris Nash before lunch for 46, top-edging a sweep off Nayan Doshi to midwicket, but then found an even sturdier ally in his captain, Chris Adams.

As Adams lunged on to the front foot, Goodwin cut and pulled his way to his 51st first-class three-figure score and completed his double-century from 263 deliveries, including 27 fours, before hands were shaken at 5pm.

“What you’re hoping for is a stabilising of the season, something that allows you to draw a line, put a flag down and rally round it,” said Robinson. “You look for your big players to perform. Hopefully you saw it out there.”

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