Officials of the champion county have had an anxious winter wondering if either their established genius, Mushtaq Ahmed, or their brand new Australian, Ryan Harris, would be allowed to play for them this season. Mushtaq will be back for the opening of their championship campaign next week and the first appearance at Lord’s yesterday of the 28-year-old Harris, registered on a British passport only on Wednesday and having signed a two-year contract, was distinctly promising.

Rattling out the first three MCC batsmen after Steve Kirby, Graham Onions and James Tredwell had bowled out Sussex by tea, he followed up by running out Adil Rashid with a brilliant pick-up and throw from mid-on. Not very British that, the cynic might say, but the possession of a passport by means of an English parent was good enough to allow Harris, a stocky 5ft 10in South Australian, to take his chance in the land of his father. Injuries had restricted him to spasmodic appearances until the past Australian season, but no sooner had he responded positively to Sussex’s interest than he took 37 wickets at 29 in the Pura Cup.

Swinging the ball at a lively pace, he looked strong enough for more tough work yesterday, removing Ed Joyce, Michael Carberry and Ravi Bopara in an eight-over new-ball spell.

Owais Shah, keeping well ahead of the chasing pack, maintained the “pressure on the England selectors” that he talked about in New Zealand by riding the storm on a seaming pitch demanding careful shot selection. Two of them were duly watching and the 72 not out that he had reached by the inevitably late finish, adorned by an effortless flick into the Grand Stand that was quite out of tune with the struggles of all the other batsmen, was more than twice as many as anyone else.

Sussex were bowled out for 171, Kirby taking four for 39 and two others from the England Lions tour to India three wickets apiece. Onions recovered from a slightly rusty opening spell to confirm his promise before Geoff Miller and Ashley Giles, and Tredwell found the Sussex tail very much more accommodating than he had the Indian batsmen.

Kirby’s four wickets included three in 27 balls during an incisive morning spell in which his tight off-stump line was amply rewarded. Chris Nash was leg-before, Mike Yardy and Carl Hopkinson both caught in the slips. One of county cricket’s great triers, Kirby has tended to be inconsistent and his liberal economy rate over the years confirms as much, but, like Harris, bowling from the Nursery End, he quickly found the right length and line to make the most of good seam and swing bowling conditions.

Chris Adams had chosen to bat first under sunshine, but the approach of clouds and some latent moisture in the pitch allowed plenty of movement and in the absence of Murray Goodwin, no one could get on top in an afternoon session in which seven wickets fell. The loose-limbed Onions also had a three-wicket burst after lunch before Tredwell gave the ball generous air and got his just deserts.

Harris the batsman had already escaped a chance to slip when he aimed a heave to mid-wicket and missed, but he found bowling a much more pleasurable activity. More of this and Sussex will be able to absorb the loss of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan without a backward step.

Sussex: First Innings

C D Nash lbw b Kirby 33

C D Hopkinson c Tredwell b Kirby 23

M H Yardy c Carberry b Kirby 12

*C J Adams c Joyce b Onions 22

M J Prior c Foster b Onions 8

L J Wright c Foster b Onions 15

R S C Martin-Jenkins c Foster b Kirby 17

R J Harris b Tredwell 19

R G Aga c Harinath b Tredwell 2

W A T Beer not out 6

J D Lewry c Shreck b Tredwell 6

Extras (lb 3, w 1, nb 4) 8

Total (59.4 overs) 171

Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-64, 3-71, 4-90, 5-115, 6-123, 7-156, 8-158, 9-158.

Bowling: Onions 15-3-49-3; Shreck 14-5-35-0; Kirby 16-4-39-4; Bopara 8-2-26-0; Tredwell 6.4-1-19-3.

MCC: First Innings

*E C Joyce c Prior b Harris 5

M A Carberry lbw b Harris 8

O A Shah not out 72

R S Bopara c Adams b Harris 7

A U Rashid run out 15

A Harinath not out 8

Extras (b 4, lb 8, w 1, nb 2) 15

Total (4 wkts, 36 overs) 130

J S Foster, J C Tredwell, G Onions, C E Shreck and S P Kirby to bat.

Fall of wicket: 1-5, 2-26, 3-42, 4-73.

Bowling: Lewry 6-0-23-0; Harris 8-3-20-3; Martin-Jenkins 10-3-32-0; Wright 7-0-25-0; Aga 4-1-16-0; Yardy 1-0-2-0.

Umpires: B Dudleston and R A Kettleborough.