Lancashire rue dropped catches as Van Zyl thrills on day one at Sussex

Haines, 22, took his aggregate for the season to 455 from seven innings with 58 and Van Zyl hit 79 as Sussex reached 318 for seven at stumps.

Lancashire’s bowlers fought back well after Haines and Van Zyl took the score to 139 for one in the 41st over following the early loss of Aaron Thomason, who was caught for a duck to give Tom Bailey the first of three wickets.

But Lancashire were left to regret dropped catches. Four were put down, two by Steven Croft in the slips, with Haines and Van Zyl benefitting.

This pair looked to be putting Sussex in a strong position either side of lunch, with Van Zyl first to his 50, which included a straight six off spinner Matt Parkinson.

Haines punished anything wayward and there seemed few demons in the pitch once the new-ball spells of Bailey and Saqib Mahmood had been negotiated.

But Mahmood returned after lunch and broke through in his 11th over, when Haines nicked a delivery. Liam Livingstone, playing his first Championship match of the season after leaving the IPL early, then removed Van Zyl, who drove loosely to extra cover trying for a 13th boundary.

Tom Clark was dropped on nought, then needed a concussion check after ducking into Danny Lamb’s short ball and losing a piece of his helmet, but he lofted Livingstone for six before Bailey trapped him just before tea for 30.

Delray Rawlins contributed 42 to a fifth-wicket stand of 62 in 16 overs with skipper Ben Brown only to undo his hard work by driving loosely to mid-off and giving Parkinson his first wicket. Brown also looked well set before he was pinned by Lamb for 46 to expose a long Sussex tail.

Bailey picked up his third wicket when he trapped Stuart Meaker lbw for seven, but George Garton and Jack Carson put together an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 26 to secure a third batting point for their side.