Steven Finn has revealed he is closing on a return to action.

The Sussex seamer bowled in the nets for the first time this season as he sent down deliveries at Charlie Tear yesterday.

Finn has not played for almost a year due to a knee injury.

He said: “We are getting somewhere close to actually being a professional cricketer again.

“I beat the edge a couple of times.

“I think maybe he was treating me with respect rather than disdain!

“We are getting close to being back out on the park, actually.

“I might play a second team game on July 10, I think.”

Finn’s last outing was against his old club Middlesex at Lord’s 11 months ago.

He told listeners to the BBC’s Test Match Special: “There have been some dark times.

“There were two months in January and February where I wasn’t able to get off my sofa.

“I had this weird bone disease on the inside of my knee.

“There was a bit of bone with no blood supply to it and it wouldn’t heal.

“I was injecting myself in my stomach every day and trying to get this bit of bone to heal.

“There were times when you are going for scans all the time and not seeing all that much improvement.

“You are just praying and hoping it gets better.

“Around two months or six weeks ago now, I started feeling better and was able to move around.

“It has got to the point now where I am able to bowl at almost 100% and feel something like myself again, which is nice and makes all the hard work you put in and the patience you have with it worthwhile.”