Skipper Luke Wright is set to miss the start of Sussex’s NatWest Twenty20 Blast campaign.

The former England international had hoped to return from a combination of back and wrist injuries in the opening match at Gloucestershire on Friday but admits his chances are slim.

Wright has yet to feature for Sussex this season, having taken over as captain in all formats during the winter, after undergoing surgery on a burst blood vessel in his wrist last month and requiring injections in his back.

The news is a big blow to Sussex’s hopes of making a flying start to the group stages of the NatWest T20 Blast with England all-rounder Chris Jordan and Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman also unavailable due to their participation in the IPL.

Wright said: “I’m making progress all the time but I’m not sure if I’ll be ready for Friday or not. I turned a corner last week but now it is a case of building up my strength again.

“The wrist is feeling really good now but recovering from two slipped discs in my back is tough so I think it might be a game too soon. After Friday we have eight days before we play Derbyshire in the Championship so that seems a more realistic target for me.

“I probably shouldn’t have played in the Leeds/Bradford game at the start of the season but I was very keen to be involved as the new captain. In hindsight I should have given myself a few more weeks to rest it so I’ve had to learn my lesson from that.

“Obviously I’d love to play on Friday but only if I am 100% fit as I don’t want to risk making things worse and being out for even longer.”