Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright strengthened his claims as Andrew Flintoff’s long-term successor as England all-rounder with five wickets as the county took control on the first day of their LV Championship first division game against Worcestershire at Hove.

Wright has regularly played one-day cricket for England since 2007 but his current form with bat and ball suggests an opportunity in Test cricket might not be far away.

His 5-66 was his second five-for of the season and he has also been flourishing with the bat in recent weeks with hundreds in two of his last three Championship games.

The 24-year-old relished a pitch with more grass on it than usual at Hove which provided good pace and carry for the Sussex seamers and justified skipper Mike Yardy’s decision to bowl first against a Worcestershire side without a win this season.

Yasir Arafat gave excellent support with 3-83 as Worcestershire were dismissed for 256.

Sussex lost Chris Nash (10) and Ed Joyce (2) to the new ball as they reached 48-2 from 16 overs in reply.