After a disappointing 2008 when 11 Championship appearances brought him a modest 316 runs and 11 wickets Luke Wright has something to prove to the Hove faithful this season.

Encouragingly, the evidence yesterday was of a player with renewed confidence and self-belief after he produced the best bowling performance of his career as Sussex’s four-day opener with Lancashire headed towards an exciting conclusion.

Wright took 5-80 from 27.5 overs to eclipse his previous best of 3-33 against Surrey four years ago as the county restricted Lancashire’s first innings lead to just ten runs after they had been 253-5.

He will resume today on 35 with Sussex ahead by 138, although the loss of Ed Joyce in the last over after he had made his second half-century of the match tilted the balance slightly Lancashire’s way.

Wright probably didn’t expect to shoulder such a heavy workload in this match. His bowling in pre-season was restricted by an ankle injury he picked up playing for England Lions in New Zealand last month and with four other seamers in the line-up, his main contribution was expected to be from his new position at No.6 in the batting order.

Ragheb Aga’s seven overs on the second day had proved expensive by the standards of this contest and skipper Mike Yardy didn’t risk him yesterday but Wright was willing to pick up the slack, especially after five overs with the old ball brought him four maidens and the wicket of Steven Croft to end a stand of 107 for Lancashire’s fifth wicket.

It took Sussex another 18 overs to take their sixth wicket but in that time Lancashire scored just 44 runs. Watching the paint dry on the newly decorated Gilligan Stand was more interesting.

Robin Martin-Jenkins made the breakthrough when his old Durham University pal Mark Chilton’s 269-ball vigil ended with a thin edge behind. In the next over Wright got Luke Sutton as he pushed forward and with the ball continuing to swing after lunch Glen Chapple fell to Martin-Jenkins in identical fashion before Wright mopped up the tail.

It was a timely return to form for the 24-year-old whose short-term international future could be shaped next week when he plays for England Lions against West Indies at Derby and the 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup is whittled down to 15.

He said: “Yards wants me to take more responsibility with the ball this season. Before I have been something of an impact bowler but with guys like Mushtaq not around we all need to step up more.

“Everyone bowled well. We bowled lots of maidens and as everyone knows wickets tend to fall in clusters at Hove.

“England-wise I don’t want to look too far ahead. I just want to do well for Sussex and if something else comes along then great but I’m not going to get too excited about something which might not happen.”

Well though Wright bowled, James Anderson has been the best on show here and it did not take him long to add to his first innings 6-56 when Sussex went in again.

After an unproductive three overs down the slope he switched to the sea end and immediately persuaded Chris Nash to play at an away-swinger. Soon Yardy shouldered arms and watched in horror as the ball cannoned off his bat onto the off stump.

Batting looked less precarious when Anderson took a breather and Ed Joyce and Murray Goodwin batted positively to add 50 in 18 overs for the third wicket before Lancashire fought back through left-arm spinner Gary Keedy.

Goodwin was stumped after coming down the pitch on the drive then Matt Prior completed a miserable match with the bat with a second-ball duck, lbw despite getting a big lunge forward.

Wright was dropped at slip on 17 when Anderson came back for another spell to confirm that this was his day. He added 53 with Joyce but the Irishman was pinned by Keedy in the final over, having hit six fours and a six off Keedy in his 55.

The pitch is taking spin but if Sussex are to give themselves a chance today they need another 100 runs at least.