SUSSEX cricketers have been named in two different teams of the year following their impressive seasons.
Wicketkeeper and Captain Ben Brown and batsman Tom Haines have been selected in the BBC Sports and Wisden’s County Championships teams of the year.
The BBC Sport team was chosen by users of its website and app. Ben and Tom were among the eleven most selected players out of all the players and teams selected.
Crawley born Tom was selected by 58 per cent of users who voted to open the batting in the team of the year, while Ben Brown was chosen by 51 per cent to take his place in the middle-order.
The duo were also selected by the writers at Wisden to be in their team of the year. Tom was praised by the writers for topping the Championship’s run-scorers list.
One writer said: “His 155 against Lancashire in the opening round was one of the knocks of the summer.”
Tom, 22, was also included in the Under-24 team of the 2021 County Championship by Wisden.
In Tom’s 34 first-class matches, he has managed to score five centuries and eight fifties. Tom has also earned a batting average of 34.03 during this time.
Crawley born Ben, who also made the Wisden team of the year, was described as “one of the most consistent run-scorers in the county game over the past six or so years, and with a record like this, he can count himself unlucky to have never been included in an England Test squad.”
Ben, 32, has a batting average of more than 40 across the 157 matches he has played in first-class cricket. He has notched 22 centuries and 44 fifties during that time.
Despite the two providing solid performances throughout the season, it was not enough to stop Sussex from finishing last in Division Three of the County Championship.