James Kirtley will be given the final decision over whether he is fit enough to play a part in the biggest game in Sussex's history this week.
Division One leaders Sussex can wrap up their first-ever County Championship title since the competition began in 1890 as they take on relegated Leicestershire at Hove on Wednesday.
Sussex know they need only six points to guarantee top spot - regardless of how nearest challengers Lancashire fare against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
It will be a momentous occasion for a county which has suffered the disappointment of seven second-placed finishes, most recently in 1981, and is not a match which any member of the playing staff will want to miss.
But Kirtley, who has been sidelined since the fourth Test defeat against South Africa at Headingley three weeks ago after sustaining shin splints, is facing a battle to regain his fitness in time for the season's climax.
He has improved since first reporting back from Leeds with the condition and now faces an anxious few days to determine whether he will be able to withstand the physical demands of a four-day match.
"He is improving, he's gradually doing much more each day, but for him to play on Wednesday he'd have to have a thorough work-out on Tuesday," said captain Chris Adams.
"There's a chance he might play and you always want your best players playing at all times, but he is going to have to last the pace and we're going to have to get 40 overs out of him during the match.
"He's a pretty sensible lad, he knows his body better than anybody else and the decision will be down to him - he will have to declare himself fit rather than be cajoled into playing."
Division One leaders Sussex can wrap up their first-ever County Championship title since the competition began in 1890 as they take on relegated Leicestershire at Hove on Wednesday.
Sussex know they need only six points to guarantee top spot - regardless of how nearest challengers Lancashire fare against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
It will be a momentous occasion for a county which has suffered the disappointment of seven second-placed finishes, most recently in 1981, and is not a match which any member of the playing staff will want to miss.
But Kirtley, who has been sidelined since the fourth Test defeat against South Africa at Headingley three weeks ago after sustaining shin splints, is facing a battle to regain his fitness in time for the season's climax.
He has improved since first reporting back from Leeds with the condition and now faces an anxious few days to determine whether he will be able to withstand the physical demands of a four-day match.
"He is improving, he's gradually doing much more each day, but for him to play on Wednesday he'd have to have a thorough work-out on Tuesday," said captain Chris Adams.
"There's a chance he might play and you always want your best players playing at all times, but he is going to have to last the pace and we're going to have to get 40 overs out of him during the match.
"He's a pretty sensible lad, he knows his body better than anybody else and the decision will be down to him - he will have to declare himself fit rather than be cajoled into playing."
