By Jamie Lillywhite

Sussex have made a perfect start to their 2006 campaign

Cricket is a team game, but at the moment it seems two players is all it takes for Sussex.

Their potent Pakistan bowling duo Rana Naved and Mushtaq Ahmed have propelled the club to the top of the County Championship, continuing the destructive partnership they formed last summer.

In 13 Championship matches they have played together since Naved's arrival at Hove midway through 2005, Sussex have won 10 and lost only two.

But it is the volume of wickets taken by the pair that is so remarkable, and the way they have been so equally divided, with 87 to Naved and 88 to Mushtaq.

That was exemplified at the Riverside this week when the duo took 19 of the 20 Durham wickets to fall as Sussex wrapped up victory inside two days.

Naved has made the inroads with his rapid swing bowling

Sussex captain Chris Adams is quite happy to let his overseas stars make the headlines.

"It's been a two-man show for us, but that's fantastic and they get a lot of support from the rest of the team and we are enjoying our success," he told BBC Sport.

"The introduction off Rana was the tonic Mushtaq needed to lift him and keep him going.

"The hardest job is creating opportunities for the other guys."

But can Sussex keep it going and repeat their 2003 title win? The acid test will come if Naved is chosen for Pakistan's tour to England and is away from the county circuit for two months.

"I don't believe you can replace people. You ask someone to come in and do their level best," Adams said.

"We've left it until the 11th hour because we want to make sure we get the best person available.

It's a captain's dream to have a world class leg-spinner and a world class seam and swing bowler Chris Adams

"All the recognised big names will be in action either in county cricket or around the world so it may be that we take a gamble on a young name like Rana and try and unearth another star."

But is there a player already at the club who can help fill the void?

"Young Luke Wright is performing very well, although he's not having to bowl many overs at the moment, and neither is Robin Martin-Jenkins," Adams said.

"Then we have James Kirtley on the sidelines itching to have a go, there is another young seamer at the club called Tim Linley, who I'm confident could come in and do a job. We're in a good position at the moment."

Pakistan's final tour game is on 10 September, so Naved should return for the club's final Championship and Pro 40 games, both away against Notts.

Mushtaq has proved too clever for many a county batsman

"Hopefully he can come back and be instrumental is us winning a trophy," Adams suggested.

"As has been the case in the last few years the Championship will no doubt go down to the wire again, there are some good teams who are performing well and winning games so it's going to be a great year."

Adams believes the current Sussex side is just as good as that of three years ago, when they became champions for the first time in the club's history, but need more from their batsmen.

"Then we relied on James and Jason Lewry to do what Rana is doing, but everybody scored heavily that year.

"It seems this year the wickets we played on are much tougher, whether that's the climate through the winter, and there are always subtle changes to the ball, and we don't seem to be stacking up the runs as we did in the Championship year.

"The flip-side is we're winning games and we didn't get off to this sort of start then, we came with a late flurry and clinched it in the second half.

"The team's very different but in many respects the ethic and the spirit is the same if not better."

2005

v Kent (a) Naved 3-46 & 4-28; Mushtaq 3-143 & 4-58
v Hants (a) Naved 3-82 & 2-73; Mushtaq 2-66 & 2-91
v Gloucs (h) Naved 4-26 & 2-53; Mushtaq did not bowl & 3-25
v Surrey (h) Naved 0-62 & 4-70; Mushtaq 3-33 & 3-96
v Gloucs (a) Naved 4-53 & 5-81; Mushtaq 6-65 & 3-46
v Middx (a) Naved 3-42 & 4-54; Mushtaq 3-24 & 6-44
v Warks (a) Naved 1-135 & 4-55; Mushtaq 3-127 & 2-37
v Glamorgan (h) Naved 0-51 & 5-41; Mushtaq 5-89 & 5-29
v Kent (h) Naved 4-83 & 2-41; Mushtaq 2-81 & 3-92

2006

v Hants (a) Naved 5-63 & 1-52; Mushtaq 1-6 & 7-64
v Yorks (a) Naved 4-86 & 7-62; Mushtaq 3-68 & 0-79
v Notts (h) Naved 3-89 & 4-29; Mushtaq 6-72 & 3-58
v Durham (a) Naved 4-28 & 5-42; Mushtaq 5-25 & 5-12