Mark Davis insists the signing of David Wiese will aid the progress of Sussex’s young prospects rather than hinder them.

Wiese’s arrival on a three-year deal was confirmed yesterday with the South Africa international becoming Sussex’s second Kolpak signing following Stiaan van Zyl’s capture in November.

The 31-year-old all-rounder will play as a non-overseas player thanks to the terms of the Kolpak ruling but it means he will no longer be able to represent South Africa, for whom he has won 26 caps in 50-over and Twenty20 cricket.

Wiese’s move to Sussex follows Hampshire’s signing of South Africa internationals Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw last week while Colin Ingram, Simon Harmer and Hardus Viljoen have also turned their backs on their country to move to England next summer.

The influx of South African players into the county game has prompted fears that it will stunt the development of young English players by blocking their route into the first team but Sussex head coach Davis believes the opposite is true.

Davis said: “My job is to bring as many good cricketers to Sussex as I can so I’m really excited to secure David for the next three years. It’s important we create a strong spine of players with experience at the highest level and David fits that criteria.

“David has been around a long time and the young lads will learn from him so I think it will be good for them. Young players shouldn’t just play because they are young, they have to earn their stripes by proving themselves in the second team.

“Sometimes you can be forced to play young players because there is no-one else around and that usually does not benefit the team or the player if they are not ready. They need to watch players like David and see how they go about things and then when their chance comes they will be better prepared to take it.”

Wiese made a good impression at Hove last season when he was initially signed as a short-term replacement for Mustafizur Rahman in the NatWest T20 Blast but ended up playing six games in the County Championship, four in the Blast and one in the Royal London One Day Cup.

He proved a popular player in the dressing room and made a significant contribution to Sussex’s strong finish to the Championship season by taking 19 wickets at an average of 24 and contributing 153 runs at an average of 21.85.

Wiese hinted that he would be keen to return in 2017 but admitted that his commitments with South Africa – along with the fact he is likely to be unavailable due to his involvement in the Indian Premier League at the start of the summer – could prove a stumbling block.

He was poised to be named in the South Africa squad for the upcoming Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka and had hopes of featuring in the Champions Trophy in England in June. Wiese said: “I am very excited to be joining Sussex on a long-term deal. I thoroughly enjoyed my stint with the club last year and it made my decision so much easier when offered the chance to return. Sussex is an extremely ambitious club and I look forward to being part of their future.

“I would like to thank Cricket South Africa for giving me the opportunity of fulfilling my lifelong dream of representing my country in the sport I love.”