Hampshire sign Mark Stoneman as County Championship cover for James Vince

February 20, 2025

in Cricket

Reading Time: 2 mins read

Hampshire have signed Mark Stoneman for the 2025 County Championship season to cowl for the lack of James Vince, who’s stepping away from first-class cricket this 12 months.

Stoneman joins the membership on a on-year purple ball contract, having left Middlesex on the finish of final summer time. The 37-year-old provides expertise to a well-oiled home aspect who completed second in Division One final time period, however have been left quick by Vince opting out of red-ball cricket this summer time, a choice partly taken to work across the ECB’s new stance on No Objection Certificates (NOC) and defend his contract to play within the PSL.

Vince had captained Hampshire throughout all codecs for nearly a decade, and will probably be changed by wicketkeeper batter Ben Brown taking the reins within the Championship. Nevertheless, Vince’s loss as one of many membership’s most prolific batters – top-scoring final season with 986 runs at a median of 49.30 – has put the onus on bringing reinforcements to the Utilita Bowl promptly with the beginning of the English home season simply two months away.

Stoneman is a dependable opening batter who boasts 14,448 first-class runs at a median of 34.23, with 31 centuries. The left-hander got here via the ranks at Durham, taking part in in three Championship-winning sides at Chester-le-Avenue, and captained their One-Day Cup success in 2014, earlier than transferring to the Kia Oval for the 2017 season. He subsequently performed a key function in Surrey’s 2018 title success – their first since 2002.

It was whereas at Surrey that Stoneman earned 11 Check caps for England, which included the 2017-18 Ashes, passing fifty 5 instances with out making it to a few figures. A transfer to Middlesex arrived halfway via 2021 (initially on mortgage) on a three-year deal, which the membership finally determined to not renew.

“I am very a lot wanting ahead to becoming a member of Hampshire for the upcoming season,” stated Stoneman through an announcement from Hampshire on Thursday. “I understand how hungry the membership is to get their palms on the Championship having been so shut for the previous few years.

“There is a incredible group of gamers and coaches who I look ahead to becoming a member of up with, and hopefully we will get our palms on that purple ball title come September.”

Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, added: “We imagine Mark has loads to supply. He is gained Championships and performed on the highest stage, and it was evident once we met that he’s extraordinarily motivated to have an effect on the membership.

“It appears like an incredible match for each events and we’re excited by his arrival.”

Hampshire are additionally anticipated to introduced the signing of New South Wales’ spectacular allrounder Jack Edwards quickly. Edwards, on the time of writing, has 26 wickets and 386 runs within the ongoing Sheffield Protect season, and would assist fill the void left by Pakistan seamer Mohammed Abbas, who has joined Nottinghamshire. Hampshire defined Abbas’ launch was right down to the necessity to “rebalance” their squad in Vince’s absence.

Source link