Nuwan Kulasekara has been tipped to make a big impact during his short stint with Sussex.

Kulasekara made his debut for the Sharks in their ten-run defeat at Kent in the NatWest T20 Blast last night after signing for three games.

The Sri Lanka seamer will make his home bow against Middlesex tonight and will leave after the trip to Glamorgan on Thursday.

Kulasekara was only brought in as a stop-gap while Sussex await the arrival of Bangladesh star Mustafizur Rahman but former captain Chris Adams believes he is the ideal signing.

Adams, who worked with Kulasekara during his coaching role with Sri Lanka two years ago, said: “Overseas signings are always something of a gamble but Kula is as close to a sure bet as you are going to get.

“I’m surprised he is available and not in the Sri Lanka squad at the moment because when I was with them he was always the first name on the list in limited overs cricket because he is devastating when the ball is swinging.

“He is a smashing guy who won’t cause any problems in the dressing room and is a proven performer on the pitch. He swings it both ways and the ability to bring it back into the right-hander during the powerplay is key in Twenty20 cricket.

“He can also hit a clean ball so is the ideal man to come in at No.9 and score a couple of boundaries to win the game.”

Kulasekara is the second short-term overseas signing Sussex have made to fill in for Rahman who was initially supposed to be available for all but the first match of the NatWest T20 Blast campaign.

South Africa all-rounder David Wiese featured in four games before leaving to play in the Caribbean Premier League and Adams says Kulasekara would be a good longer-term option if Rahman does not finally arrive for the clash with Hampshire on July 15 as expected.

Adams said: “It will be great if Rahman does turn up because he is a great player but there have been worrying signs for weeks regarding him.

“His absence has already hurt Sussex’s chances of progressing to the knockout stages and you wonder whether signing Kula is an indication that Mark Davis’ (head coach) patience is starting to run out.

“If Rahman ends up not coming and Kula was able to stay longer then I’m sure he would do a good job.”