Luke Wright is facing a race to be fit for the start of Sussex’s Twenty20 campaign.

The England all-rounder has had an injection in his injured knee which could rule him out of the opening match against Essex Eagles next Thursday.

Wright has struggled with the problem since the World Cup in March and aggravated it during the County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire two weeks ago.

The 26-year-old played in the CB40 victory at Kent on Sunday but was unable to bowl at full pace and a specialist decided the injection was necessary to speed up his recovery.

Coach Mark Robinson said: “We are hoping Luke will be back for the first Twenty20 game but there are no guarantees.

“The injection will help but we will have to wait until it settles down and the swelling has eased before we know exactly where we are.”

Wright’s absence means Sussex will be without three key players for the County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Hove, which starts on Sunday.

Matt Prior and Ed Joyce are also missing due to international commitments and that will leave the door open for the likes of Joe Gatting and Ben Brown to break back into the team.

Gatting and Brown are expected to play in a three-day match against Oxford University at The Parks, starting today.

Robinson added: “Obviously it is a big loss to be without three quality players but it will give an opportunity for others to stake a claim at Oxford.”