Ben Brown embarks on new challenge with Hampshire

Among the most talented red-ball wicketkeeper-batsmen on the circuit, and an ardent fan of four-day County Championship cricket, he is likely to start his time at his new club in a specialist batting role

Hampshire have bolstered their batting ranks with the signing of Ben Brown following his departure from Sussex.

Brown, 33, adds experience and ability to the Hampshire middle order, bringing 8,649 first-class runs and an average above 40 with him to the Ageas Bowl.

He joins on all-format terms but it is in the red-ball arena where his impact is likely to be felt most keenly.

Among the most talented first-class wicketkeeper-batsmen on the circuit, and an ardent fan of four-day County Championship cricket, he is expected to start his time at his new club in a specialist batting role, while offering competition for the gloves to Lewis McManus. 

Brown, who has signed a two-year contract, has never been picked by England but is one of the most consistent performers in the county game.

^{Ben Brown has joined Hampshire}

He was not short of options after choosing to leave Sussex in the autumn, though a combination of Hampshire's chances of challenging for the Championship title, Division One cricket, an admiration of the coaching staff at the Ageas Bowl, and the fact the move would not mean uprooting his young family from their Hove home all factored into his final decision. 

"I looked at it holistically and it looked like a really good fit at the moment," he told The Cricketer.

"I'm probably a bit old school. Championship cricket is, for me, everything. I've always wanted to win the Championship: that’s my primary goal going to Hampshire.

"You should always target playing international cricket and hopefully those goals always drive your standards. Whether you get there or not is sometimes outside your control."

Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: "He brings many qualities and has a particularly impressive red-ball record; we are confident he’ll be a great addition to the squad."

The 2022 season will be Brown's first as a professional away from Sussex.

He asked to be released from his contract despite it still having two years left to run, having been replaced as captain by Tom Haines midway through the 2021 campaign.

^{Brown is a fine wicketkeeper and will compete for the gloves with Lewis McManus}

Sussex reasoned that a young captain needed to be given the chance to bed in and develop at the same rate as the youthful project under way at Hove.

Just one of a host of senior players to leave the club over the course of the past three years, Brown continued to perform for his former team despite being stripped of the captaincy, averaging 64.4 in 11 innings after losing the responsibilities.

Across 2021, he averaged 51.36, scoring 976 runs in 12 games. No one in the country scored more than his four first-class centuries.

Sussex's loss is Hampshire's gain, with Brown joining a batting unit which also includes James Vince, Nick Gubbins, Joe Weatherley, Liam Dawson and McManus. 

Building nicely ahead of the new season, the county are now perhaps a heavyweight opener away from fielding a top seven which can stay the course in pursuit of a first Championship crown since 1973.