Chris Wright: Leicestershire bowler pulls out of Sussex deal

Chris Wright has taken 48 wickets at an average of 27.43 in Division Two of the County Championship this season

Seam bowler Chris Wright will no longer join Sussex as planned at the end of this season because of family reasons.

The 38-year-old was expected to leave Leicestershire and move to Hove on a two-year contract.

"He would have been a great signing for us and our dressing room but it is not to be," Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace told BBC Radio Sussex.

"All the qualities and all of his experience and skill he would have brought would have been fantastic."

Wright has taken 585 wickets in 202 first-class outings, along with 192 domestic white-ball wickets.

His switch was agreed back in June, and Farbrace said it was a "great shame" that "an unbelievably experienced cricketer" would not be able to link up with his squad on the south coast.

"I know that we beat quite a few counties to his signature and he was one I worked hard to persuade to come to Sussex," Farbrace added.

"It is not going to work out for him and his family and that is sometimes the way it works out. He is not going to be able to fulfil the contract.

"I hope he is able to carry on playing for another couple of years and is not lost to the county game.

"We are back in the market to find ourselves another experienced bowler to, hopefully, replace Wrighty."

Experience and a 'strong' captain required

Farbrace had targeted promotion from Division Two of the County Championship this season - in what was his first season in charge at Hove - but the side missed out on a place in the top two.

Ill discipline on the field played a part, with Sussex deduced 12 points and captain Cheteshwar Pujara suspended for one match after the club received four penalty notices.

Former England assistant coach and ex-Sri Lanka boss Farbrace is keen to bring in some experienced campaigners to help the team develop.

"We have some very talented youngsters and very clearly need some experienced, solid cricketers to help," he said.

"Coaches can only do so much. Players learn from players.

"What has happened here over the last three or four years is a lot of senior players have left the club. The club has invested in youth but what we haven't got is quality senior players who can help those youngsters be the best they can be.

"It will probably take us two winters of good recruitment, and then I think the team will grow from that point onwards."

The desire for a "good, strong senior captain" will also be a factor as Farbrace looks for overseas players for next season.

"One thing that is very obvious is that we need strong leadership on the field," he said.

"Ideally we would have one captain for all formats. It may well be that one of the overseas players will be that captain across the board.

"We have had four captains across the season [Pujara and Tom Alsop in the Championship, Tom Haines in the One-Day Cup, and Ravi Bopara in the T20 Blast] and we feel we need to have one strong leader who brings the playing side together.

"It is about finding the right person to fulfil that role."