MUCH though the Sussex players love playing at Arundel, this sublime ground has not yielded many home victories. This was only the fourth in 16 championship matches here and may prove to be the most important when this year’s first division title is finally decided.

Once again, the Pakistan connection have played a significant part in Sussex’s success. Mushtaq Ahmed and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have enjoyed a wonderfully productive season but in the absence of the latter, another of his compatriots made an impact on his debut. Yasir Arafat, recommended to Sussex by Mushtaq as a suitable replacement for Naved, showed what a useful batsman he is with a hard-hit 86 off 135 balls and then picked up two wickets, including that of Michael Vaughan.

Arafat, 24, who played for Scotland in the totesport League last season, has an approach and action not dissimilar to that of Waqar Younis. He is not as quick as Waqar in his heyday — very few are — but is lively enough. Vaughan, well forward to the first ball he received from him, was adjudged leg-before after a long delay. The umpire, Terry Urben, a reserve list official, was deputising for the unwell Allan Jones. Until Urben arrived, the Sussex scorer, Mike Charman, had stood at square leg.

The dismissal of Vaughan, obliged to bat at No 7 after being unable to field for most of the Sussex innings, was one of five wickets to fall in six overs either side of tea. Robin Martin-Jenkins had initiated the collapse with his first championship victim since April 27 when he lured Michael Lumb into a drive that was edged low to second slip. Mushtaq deceived Craig White with a googly before having Gerard Brophy taken at slip. Arafat’s leg-stump yorker was too much for Richard Dawson.

On an easy-paced pitch that was still good for batting, Yorkshire had lost their customary early wicket. The fact that their highest opening stand this season is only 37 is a pointer to their position at the foot of the table and only 13 were on the board yesterday when the left-handed Andrew Gale played inside an outswinger from Jason Lewry that hit his off stump. Lewry’s value to Sussex this campaign was again evident when he broke a stubborn second-wicket partnership, persuading Anthony McGrath to pull him to mid-wicket.

Later, he had Jason Gillespie caught behind, his 500th first-class wicket for the club. He has always enjoyed bowling at Arundel where, as the theory goes, the proliferation of trees helps him to swing the ball.

Amid the wreckage of defeat, Darren Lehmann stood defiant, sweeping Mushtaq with aplomb en route to a superb 109-ball hundred, his third this summer. Next week, he and other senior players will attend a crisis meeting convened by Stewart Regan, the chief executive.