ESSEX duo Tymal Mills and Michael Comber could line-up for Suffolk in their opening Minor Counties Championship match of the season on Sunday.

The pair have both been included in a 13-man squad for the three-day match against Norfolk at the Victory Ground in Bury St Edmunds, start 11am each day.

It appears their availability will rest on whether one, or both, are recalled by Essex to play in Monday’s Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Gloucestershire Gladiators at Chelmsford.

Clacton all-rounder Comber appeared for Suffolk twice in the championship in 2010, but if Mills plays it will be his first three-day appearance for the county, after previously playing in a solitary Minor Counties Trophy group game against Lincolnshire two years ago.

Left-arm bowler Mills, who is a product of Mildenhall’s youth system and still plays for the club when available, has been a regular in the Essex first team in both four-day and one-day cricket this season while Comber has made two appearances in the CB40 competition.

The pair replace batsman Scott Harvey, who is unavailable, and Simon Guy, the former Yorkshire wicket-keeper and batsman, from the squad that was on duty for the final group game in the Minor Counties Trophy which saw Suffolk win at Shropshire to book a quarter-final tie away to Staffordshire.

Suffolk skipper Justin Bishop said the possibility of one, or both, Essex contracted players facing Norfolk is a mouthwatering one.

“Tymal was with the England Lions in the winter and is blessed with genuine pace, and the possibility of him and Matt Hunn sharing the new ball is an exciting one. We will certainly need something special to take wickets if the pitch plays like it did last Saturday.”

A total of 646 runs were scored for the loss of just six wickets at the Victory Ground last Saturday as Bury St Edmunds and Great Witchingham were involved in a run-fest that ended in a draw.

“It looks like being another flat wicket and we will have to bowl well to take wickets against good batsmen who are in form.

“Michael Comber hits the ball a long way and can be a very destructive batsman, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will also be available, but we won’t know until Saturday,” added Bishop.

All-rounder Chris Swallow will definitely play, after originally expecting to be unavailable due to the birth of his first child, but his wife gave birth to a baby girl last week.

Suffolk squad: T Huggins, B France, M Cull, H Adnan, S Ward, C Warn (wkt), J Bishop (capt), C Swallow, S Rees, M Hunn, T Rash.