Coach Mark Robinson believes Sussex have signed a game-changer in Tymal Mills.

Mills penned a two-year deal at Hove today after Sussex fought off competition for the 22-year-old who is regarded as the quickest bowler in the country from Lancashire and Worcestershire.

The former Essex paceman boasts a modest first class record from his three seasons at Chelmsford but has been tipped as a potential England player of the future by virtue of his ability to bowl in excess of 90mph.

Robinson jumped at the chance to sign Mills having worked with him during the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka last winter and says he can provide the shock factor Sussex miss when Chris Jordan is on England duty.

Robinson said: “There is nobody quicker than Tymal in the country. I saw at first hand how fast he can bowl in Sri Lanka where even though conditions don’t suit fast bowling he scared some of their batsmen.

“There is no doubt he has room to improve but the one thing you can’t give somebody is pure pace and what we do know is that people with pace can change the course of games.

“He is raw and inexperienced but I’m sure he will get better in time. I’m sure he’ll have some bad days but players like Tymal are never out of the game because you know one spell could change things completely “Every time he comes on to bowl there will be a sense of anticipation and we will be looking for him to upset the opposition and open doors for the team in the same way CJ did for us when he was available last season.

“There is no doubt he has unfulfilled potential so our challenge will be to harness that pace he has. We will also have to manage him carefully as he has had injuries in the past and manage expectations as well.”

Meanwhile, Robinson has confirmed that leg-spinner Will Beer, left-arm seamer Lewis Hatchett and all-rounder Steffan Piolet have all been offered new deals while negotiations with opener Luke Wells, who is also out of contract, are believed to be close to completion.