Daniel Hughes among five more players to leave Sussex as end-of-season clear-out continues
Hughes heads list of five more departures at Hove
Sussex have announced the departures of five more players at the end of the 2026 season, including Australian batter Daniel Hughes, bringing the total number of exits at Hove this autumn to double figures as the club continues to reshape its squad.
The 37-year-old Hughes has been an overseas player at Sussex for the past three seasons and bows out as the county's leading run-scorer in the 2026 County Championship, having amassed 746 runs at an average of 37.30.
In a club statement, Hughes described his three years with Sussex as "some of the most enjoyable of my career both on and off the field".
Director of cricket Paul Farbrace praised the Australian's influence beyond his own run-scoring. "I hope Daniel will look back on his time here with a sense of real satisfaction, because scoring runs and winning games in both forms for the game is one thing, but the role he has played helping to develop our home-grown players has been immense," Farbrace said.
Currie, Ward, Henry and Oosthuizen also released
Alongside Hughes, Sussex have confirmed that Scotland left-arm seamer Brad Currie, batter Harrison Ward, spinner Troy Henry and seamer Nantes Oosthuizen will also be leaving following the conclusion of the 2026 season.
They are the latest in a series of end-of-season exits already confirmed by the club in recent weeks. On Tuesday, it was announced that wicketkeeper John Simpson had signed for Nottinghamshire, while Henry Crocombe is joining Surrey. Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Tom Alsop and George Thomas are moving to Hampshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire respectively.
The scale of the clear-out was signposted some months ago. The club said in June that eight players in total had been told they would not be offered contracts at the end of the season as Sussex aim to regain control of their finances.
Third-place finish achieved amid financial struggles
The departures come despite a strong campaign on the field. As Sussex confirmed when they finished their season, Farbrace hailed a third-place finish in Division One of the County Championship in 2026 — a notable achievement given the county was deducted 12 points before the start of the season because of financial issues.
Backroom changes continue at Hove
The squad overhaul is being mirrored off the pitch. Farbrace is also stepping down as head coach and will become the club's director of cricket from November.
Sussex are also searching for a new batting coach after Grant Flower's decision to switch to Surrey for 2027, as reported when that move was confirmed. "Grant has been brilliant for Sussex cricket for five years," Farbrace said at the time. "We argue an awful lot about loads of things, but the bottom line is we both care about Sussex cricket."