After flogging himself on the unforgiving pitches of Pakistan and India all winter Rana Naved's eyes must have lit up when he arrived at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.

A dampish pitch offering lavish movement and plenty of cloud cover sure beats some of the roads he was busting a gut on in the sub-continent over the last few months.

Conditions were tailor-made for such a skilled practioner as Rana and he wasted no time in cashing in to help Sussex take control after two days against Hampshire.

After taking a wicket with the first ball of Hampshire's reply on Wednesday, he followed it with four more yesterday on his way to the third five-wicket haul of his embryonic Sussex career.

He finished with 5-63 as Hampshire were bowled out for 168 to concede a firstinnings lead of 43.

By the close Sussex were 192 in front after reaching 149-5 in their second dig.

Rana now has 59 wickets in nine-and-a-half Championship games and, just as they were last season when he only played in the second half of the season, Sussex supporters are already wondering what their side could achieve when he is available for a whole summer.

He made the breakthrough yesterday after John Crawley and Jimmy Adams had failed to score a run in a tortuous first half-hour when Adams was trapped on the back foot plumb in front of the stumps.

In his next over Mike Yardy, running 20 yards back from his station at slip, failed to cling on to Dominic Thornely's top edge. But two balls later Rana found just enough away movement and Crawley was well held by Chris Adams at second slip.

After lunch Rana had the dangerous Sean Ervine caught on the square-leg boundary when the Zimbabwean, who never shirked the challenge when Rana dropped short, mistimed a hook.

And he had his fifth wicket, courtesy of a reflex effort at slip by Yardy after Chris Tremlett had edged to Andrew Hodd and the ball had deflected off the sprawling wicketkeeper's glove. Hampshire had lost their last four wickets for 19 runs in 10.2 overs.

But the day was not all about Rana. Robin Martin-Jenkins did an outstanding job in support, particularly in the morning when he only conceded seven runs in eight overs - all of them in the same over.

He was as effective after lunch - but got some rewards for his efforts with the wickets of Dimitri Mascarenhas and Shaun Udal in successive overs - both with balls which bounced and left the right-handers.

He lost nothing in comparison to Tremlett - the beanpole on Hampshire's side - who is hoping to revive his England career this summer.

When Matt Prior returns to the team next week it is a tossup between Martin-Jenkins and Luke Wright as to who loses their place. A week ago Wright was possibly favourite to hold on to the all-rounder's place but the decision does not look as clear-cut now.

Jason Lewry picked up two wickets including top scorer Michael Carberry. The left-hander has joined Hampshire from Kent and has dropped down the order. He rode his luck here but smacked eight boundaries before edging to slip, having sliced the ball through the cordon two balls earlier.

The other wicket fell to Mushtaq Ahmed when he ended a potentially damaging stand between Carberry and Nic Pothas - who scored a century in last year's meeting here - when Pothas was strangled down the leg side in the last over before lunch.

It was no easier for Sussex when they went in again.

Every run was precious, every shot played in front of the wicket carried an element of risks as balls darted off the seam towards a cordon of expectant Hampshire fielders.

Richard Montgomerie played the anchor role to perfection, labouring for 125 balls over his 35 before he was fourth out when Ervine got one to move off the seam.

Montgomerie had put on 50 for the second wicket after Carl Hopkinson had departed in the sixth over - only the second half-century stand of the match.

Yardy briefly escaped the shackles to belt three fours off one over from Ervine but he was bowled around his legs by Thornely. Murray Goodwin and Hodd, promoted up the order to six, did not hang around for too long but by the close Adams and Martin-Jenkins had resisted for six overs and added a precious 30 runs.

Pitch inspector Peter Walker was here for a second day but departed in mid-afternoon happy that there was no need to convene an inspection panel.

He said: "There was perhaps too much movement for too long to warrant any further action."

But umpires Neil Mallender and Trevor Jesty are within their rights to call Walker back today.

It is unlikely that either Sussex's cricket manager Mark Robinson or Adams share Walker's opinion although both have decided to keep their powder dry until the match ends which, at the current rate of progress, may well be today.