Mark Robinson pushed two of his more unsung players for international recognition as Sussex launched their Pro40 campaign in style.

The Sharks coach reckons Michael Yardy and Robin Martin-Jenkins are playing some of the best cricket of their careers and could challenge for England one-day places.

They, along with nine very competent team-mates, were certainly far too good for Warwickshire last night.

Chris Nash took man-of-the-match honours with a career-high 82 as the Sharks won more conclusively than a 37-run margin suggests. They allowed Chris Adams and Mushtaq Ahmed to rest niggling injuries and still dominated on an upbeat night at Hove before 3,500 fans.

It was the batting of Martin-Jekins and Yasir Arafat which blew Warwickshire out of the game.

Then direct hits from Yardy and Arafat highlighted a razor-sharp fielding display while Martin-Jenkins was the pick of the bowlers.

Robinson was delighted with the team display and said: "We've got a couple of blokes really playing good cricket now.

"Robin Martin-Jenkins helped us get the runs we needed to get a proper score and bowled really well.

"And Michael Yardy's figures were only really spoiled by one bad over at the end.

"If England are looking for good all-round cricketers for their one-day team these are the type of player they need."

Sussex have a team of stars but no superstars and Arafat has played down the chance of him leaving their ranks to join the ongoing Test series in the coming days.

Pakistan have been hit by injuries to their bowlers, with Rana Naved, the man Arafat is replacing at Hove, among the casualties.

When asked about the chances of Arafat being called up, coach Bob Woolmer said: "We have considered him and his name has come up in discussions but no decision has been taken yet.

"Because of the nature of our injuries many players will be talked about."

Arafat said of the call-up talk: "I've only seen it on the internet.

"Of course it would be good to be called up. Things have been going really well in county cricket."

Senior international recognition is clearly a way off for Nash, though he has played for England through the age groups and was being tipped as a Test player from a young age at his home club of Horsham.

Maybe that it is why he seems to have been around for so long, even though he is still only 23.

It is now four years since he bagged a pair against Warwickshire on his first-team Sussex debut in a Championship match.

He has learnt an awful lot since then and looked a composed, mature and technically very correct figure as he rescued Sussex from early trouble.

His 82 off 101 balls was well-paced and his departure, disappointing as it must have been so close to a ton, well-timed from the team point of view.

Nash looked comfortable on this stage and showed his attacking flair with two successive leg side fours, pulled square and pushed sweetly past mid-on, off Neil Carter.

If there was one criticism it was that he struggled to inceasethe tempo going into the last ten overs. In fact, his efforts to do just that led to his downfall as he top-edged a pull and found the hands of Navdeep Poonia on the midwicket rope.

Someone needed to lay a platform for the late onslaught after Matt Prior went to a fabulous catch by Tim Ambrose, his former rival for a Sussex first-team place.

Ambrose capped a tidy wicketkeeping performance with routine dimissals of Goodwin and Hopkinson.

Goodwin added 78 in 14 overs for the third wicket with Nash, his run-a-ball 39 included a legside six off Alex Loudon.

A clatter of three wickets between 173 and 195 set the scene for what looked the decisive passage of the home innings as straight-hitting Martin-Jankins and Arafat added an unbeaten 43 off the last 23 balls.

Although veteran Dougie Brown kept them guessing with variation of pace and length, the Sussex pair had the answers and, on a couple of occasions, were helped by poor fielding as the Bears lost their grip on proceedings.

Arafat rounded off the innings with 14 from the final three balls, delivered by Heath Streak. The Bears were struggling with the bat from the off and Yardy struck a hammer blow when his direct hit from mid-off ran out Nick Knight by inches.

Olie Rayner also took credit, his close-range parry of Jonathan Trott's drive diverting the ball to Yardy.

Prior, standing up to Martin-Jenkins, took a nice catch to get rid of Alex Loudon after failing to hold a chance off the same batsman and bowler.

Arafat's good work got rid of Trott and the contest was petering out by the time Streak hit his late runs.

Fittingly he perished to a catch in the deep by Nash as Arafat finished with two wickets in two balls.