Ali Orr: Sussex opener relishing chance to learn from Steve Smith

Ali Orr has scored 1,595 first-class runs, including four hundreds, since making his Sussex debut in June 2021

Ali Orr has already achieved much in his burgeoning career, but 2023 could provide the platform to transform his game.

The opener's form was one of the bright spots for Sussex in the County Championship last season, as the left-hander passed 1,000 first-class runs in what was his first full campaign in the side.

Now he has the chance to learn from one of the best batters in the world, with Australia's Steve Smith - ranked second in the International Cricket Council's all-time Test batting rankings - warming up for the Ashes with a three-match stint at Hove next month.

"When I saw the rumours that he might be coming I'll admit I was really, really excited," Orr told BBC Sport.

"To have someone like that at the club is an absolute honour. For me opening the batting and having Smith and [Cheteshwar] Pujara behind me is a very, very exciting time."

India batter Pujara, hailed as a "calming influence" by Orr, was the only Sussex player to out-score the Eastbourne-born academy product in Division Two cricket last year and he will return to captain Sussex in the Championship in 2023.

However, the opportunity for Orr to glean nuggets of information from another star of Test cricket in the shape of Smith, the 33-year-old who has 30 Test centuries and averages 59.80, is too good to miss.

"I can't wait to see how he trains and how he plays and just have chats with him because he's the best batter in the world," Orr added.

"You'd look at Pujara's technique and it's a lot more orthodox, whereas with Smith's you wouldn't teach someone to bat like that but it's so effective. He has got his ways and he just sticks to it.

"I wouldn't say my batting's similar to Smith's… but it's a bit different. It's not as orthodox, so how can I learn from him?"

Sussex play three matches before Smith's arrival, with Orr turning 22 on the first day of the Division Two curtain-raiser against Durham which begins on Thursday.

Yet despite his 1,047 Championship runs last year, which came at an average of 47.59 and included three tons, his main personal target is to develop his own game.

"I'm hoping that the coaches will back me," he said.

"Whether I get 1,000 runs or whether I get less than that, it doesn't matter as long as I feel like I'm improving and coaches see my improvement.

"Technique-wise I feel in a really good place. It's more about consistency and short-term goals for me; trying to get processes nailed on, get good position, dominate early on and then see where it goes from there.

"Consistency comes from technique but, like with Pujara and Smith and the good players, also comes from keeping a real level mentality. That's one thing I've really been working on."

Orr spent the winter playing for a club side in Adelaide and believes his stint in Australia, where the runs did not flow so well, has benefitted him.

"It really humbled me quite a lot going out there and getting skittled by a few Australians," he said.

"Staying really level-headed and humble is my biggest [thing]. Not that I'm arrogant or anything but staying level-headed will leave me in the best place possible."

Promotion goal and a mentality switch

Orr scored three centuries and three half-centuries in Division Two last season, with his first-class career-high score of 198 coming against Glamorgan in the final game of the campaign

From a team perspective, Orr hopes to help return Sussex to winning ways in the Championship following the appointment of Paul Farbrace as head coach in December.

The club won the Division One title three times among a trophy-laden decade at the start of the millennium but have been languishing in Division Two since relegation from the top tier in 2015.

A young side have picked up just three wins in the Bob Willis Trophy or Championship over the past three seasons, yet Orr believes their fortunes could be set to change.

"I think we've almost fallen into the trap of thinking 'we're young, we need a few years'," Orr said.

"For me as well, I have played near on 20 first-class games and won one of them, which is not the nicest feeling ever.

"We've got players who have been playing for two years now. We've matured so now we need to start winning and almost expecting to win. That's the biggest thing for us."

Former Sri Lanka boss and England assistant Farbrace says promotion back to Division One is his "absolute goal" this season.

"I've talked a lot about the expectation to win," the 55-year-old told BBC Radio Sussex.

"We want to play positive, attacking cricket and win games. It has been a tough couple of years but we have still got a lot of talented young cricketers who I think are really exciting.

"There is real quality and some good characters. There is desire amongst the group."

Meanwhile, Orr says there has been a change in mindset at Hove over the winter.

"Whenever you walk up to our changing room there is a whiteboard and it says 'Eight wins, 226 points, promotion' just written there in bold red," the batter said.

"We walk in every day and we look at that.

"A lot of guys went away (over the winter) and when everyone came back there was almost a sense of excitement because Farby's got such a great reputation. I've got so many good things to say about him.

"We may have lacked a bit of positivity recently and I think that's the main shift for us.

"We've got some strong teams in our group but if you look at our team full strength - I know injuries can affect that - but we've got a good side, a more experienced side and a really, really good head coach.

"I can't wait to see what's going to happen."