Damien Wright will make his first-class debut at Hove today with a special request for skipper Mike Yardy: “Can I bowl down the hill?”

The 33-year-old, fresh from helping Victoria win the Sheffield Shield, hasn’t played at the County Ground before even though Sussex is his third English club following spells with Glamorgan and Northamptonshire.

He said: “I’ve seen Hove on the TV when there are people everywhere for Twenty20 and it’s a beautiful ground.

“Hopefully I will get to run down the hill - I’m not looking forward to bowling uphill. I might not get it through to the keeper!”

Wright has initially joined Sussex until May 10 but he is likely to stand in again for Yasir Arafat in June if, as seems likely, Arafat is in Pakistan’s squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.

It’s an arrangement that suits Wright, who has just finished a gruelling season helping Victoria win the Sheffield Shield.

He added: “When I left Tasmania to join Victoria I didn’t expect to play a lot and thought I’d probably be doing a bit of coaching and thinking about things after cricket.

“I ended up playing every game which was a bit of a shock so coming here for a short stint is fine. I would have probably struggled to get through a whole county season. Even if I come back in June I will have had three weeks off and I’ll still have two months at home before the Australian season starts again.”

Wright was unlucky not to mark his Sussex debut with a wicket or two in Sunday’s Friends Provident Trophy defeat against Gloucestershire when he took 0-29 in two spells less than 48 hours after arriving in England.

He said: “I was happy with the way I started. The ball stopped swinging early on and it always felt like we were chasing the game. It’s important that we bounce back quickly and I’m really looking forward to the Lancashire game.

“When I played at Northampton you definitely noticed the difference when you played the first division counties, you felt like you were up against it. But the squad here is very professional and focussed on how they can be successful and I think Sussex can have a good season.”