MCC v Champion County - training photos

Michael Carberry and Owais Shah talk tactics The cricket season is back... the sound of leather on willow, tempremental English weather and everything else you associate with the great game returns.

Playing catch-up: Ravi Bopara gets ready for the new season Lord's 'The Home of Cricket' plays host to the season's opening match: MCC v Champion County. 2007's County Champions, Sussex provide the opposition.

Both sides will boast England international experience as well as expectation - a host of players with international caps to their name will join those eager to earn their first.

With a cricket-hungry public keen to see this season's return of cricket to these shores, all will be keen to impress.

• Review the squads and match info

Keeping up: James Foster practices his 'keeping Behind the stumps especially, where Essex's James Foster (right) will keep wicket for MCC. Sussex's wicketkeeper is Matt Prior, only months ago hitting centuries in an England shirt.

MCC captain, Ed Joyce, with an oval ball! MCC are captained by another man with England experience, Ed Joyce.

The Middlesex opener will, hopefully, feel at home at Lord's when he leads the MCC team out.

Along with his temporary team-mates, Joyce was in training on the Nursery Ground yesterday. We snapped him taking part in a rugby match that would have had Geoff Boycott reaching for his mic - after James Anderson turned his ankle playing the game in England training.

Net gain: Joyce in more familiar pose, batting in the nets Happily Joyce could also be seen in more familiar surroundings, bat in hand in the nets and he looked to be striking the ball well.

Young England hopeful Adil Rashid with Shah Yorkshire's Adil Rashid (right) will be hoping to catch the eye in the match too.

With the ECB offices based at 'The Home of Cricket' where better for the England hopeful to put in a great, early season performance?