Delray Rawlins is definitely in coach Mark Davis’s plans at Sussex County Cricket Club this season.

That is despite Davis returning to his native South Africa to recruit experienced players whom he believes can make Sussex challengers in all formats of the game this summer.

Davis said he is happy to give youngsters a chance again after George Garton, Jofra Archer and Stuart Whittingham were all given opportunities last season. Between them they played 16 Championship games and they look like forming the bedrock of Sussex’s pace attack for years to come.

But it is the promising 19-year-old Rawlins who is exciting Davis just as much.

He was the star batsman on England under-19’s tour of India this winter, making two centuries and adding scores of 96 and 70. According to the Sussex website, Rawlins can count Mark Ramprakash, the former England batsman and coach, among his admirers, having only signed his first professional contract a few months ago.

“He went from being on the outside of our squad to getting a contract and being the standout player with England under-19s,” Davis said. “He has come from nowhere and I can definitely see him being involved this season.”

Sussex have recruited South African all-rounders Stiaan van Zyl and David Wiese, who spent two months with the club in 2016, while fast bowler Vernon Philander will be with Sussex for the first part of the summer.

“We were lacking in certain skill sets and we think with our recruitment we have addressed that,” said Davis, who is starting his second year in charge.

“We wanted players who can play in all formats. We have done that with Stiaan, David and Laurie Evans, who we’ve signed from Warwickshire.

“We wanted to improve our white-ball cricket and those three will help us, as will Philander for the Royal London One-Day Cup and Ross Taylor in the NatWest T20 Blast.

“Most importantly we wanted all-rounders who can balance our team. Last year, mainly because of injuries, we were almost picking an old-fashioned team with six batsmen and four bowlers. It didn’t feel like we were moving with the times because of no fault of our own.”

Rawlins scored 25 in a 50-overs match against Somerset on Monday. It was the first of two white-ball matches at the 1st Central County Ground, with Sussex going down by six wickets in the first game and 120 runs in the second match yesterday.