Who is the captain?

Chris Adams. Nearly 38 but still a fierce competitor and as hungry for success as ever, despite winning three county championships, the C&G Trophy and two one-day promotions during his ten years in charge

Who are the overseas players?

Mushtaq Ahmed (Pakistan)

Who has arrived?

Will Beer, Ben Brown, Rory Hamilton-Brown (Surrey), Ryan Harris, Rageb Aga, Michael Thornely

Who has left?

Richard Montgomerie, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Saqlain Mushtaq

What has the IPL/ICL done to them?

They had nerves on edge until the irreplaceable Mushtaq received a second No Objection Certificate, clearing him to carry on playing at Hove after his involvement in the ICL

What is their nickname?

Sharks

How did they fare last season?

LV County Championship: champions, first division; NatWest Pro40: 5th, first division; Friends Provident Trophy: 8th, South conference; Twenty20 Cup: semi-finals

What are their prospects?

A third successive County Championship is not beyond them but so much will depend on Mushtaq, who has taken 467 wickets in five seasons. He will be 38 in June and will again have an enormous workload

What are their strengths?

Match-winning players in Mushtaq, Adams and Murray Goodwin, seasoned professionals such as James Kirtley, Jason Lewry and Robin Martin-Jenkins around them and some exciting talent, including Will Beer, a leg spinner, coming through. Above all, though, they know how to win

What are their weaknesses?

They have lost Richard Montgomerie's runs and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan's wickets, while all the big players are nearing the end of their careers. It will be up to the youngsters to take their opportunities and keep the success story going

One to watch

Matthew Prior. Bristling to prove that the England selectors were wrong to reject him by scoring more runs than ever and showing that his wicketkeeping is better than some people think