Ben Brown omitted from Sussex squad after removal as captain

Ben Brown has been removed as Sussex's club captain and left out of their squad for Sunday's Royal London Cup game against Durham.

Brown was appointed as club captain in early 2018 after taking on the role midway through the 2017 season, but Sussex have been in transition throughout his tenure in four-day cricket in particular, with a number of senior players leaving the club and Jason Gillespie departing as coach at the end of last summer.

The club released a statement on Saturday morning saying that their performance cricket committee "has decided that the time is right for new leadership" in 50-over and four-day cricket. "A new captain or captains will be able to develop alongside the young, homegrown players that will form the core of Sussex's 50-over and Championship sides in the years ahead."

Brown has hit hundreds in both of Sussex's last two Championship games but they struggled badly in the initial phase of the competition, finishing bottom of Group Three with a single win in their 10 games. He was left out for the first Royal London Cup game of the season, with Tom Haines taking over as captain, and is not part of the squad named for Sunday's fixture. Haines will continue as captain throughout the Royal London Cup with a Championship captain named later in the season.

"As Ben Brown leaves his captaincy roles, Sussex Cricket would like to thank him wholeheartedly for his service over the past four years," the statement said. "Ben has never been anything but fully committed to the role and has played an important part in guiding the club in recent years, both on and off the pitch."

Brown is under contract until the end of the 2023 season, and the statement suggested there is no immediate prospect of him leaving the club. "His experience will be of huge value to the dressing room and we look forward to his continued contributions as a player," it said. Brown himself is yet to comment publicly on the decision.