Indian Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara will not be returning to Sussex County Cricket Club for the 2024 season. The English club has chosen to keep Australian batsman Daniel Hughes, who has been a valuable asset to the team. Hughes will be available for all Championship and T20 Vitality Blast matches next season.
The club also announced that West Indies right-arm fast bowler Jayden Sales will play the first block of Championship fixtures. Pujara had been playing for Sussex for the past three seasons, featuring in the first seven Championship matches of the 2024 season before Hughes’ arrival.
“Taking over from Cheteshwar is not an easy task, but Dan has fitted in brilliantly and we are all delighted he will be back for the whole of next season,” Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said in a statement on the club’s website.
Hughes has been a prolific run-scorer for Sussex, particularly in the T20 Vitality Blast. He was the leading run scorer in the group stages of this year’s Blast with 560 runs at an average of 43.07, including five fifties and a highest score of 96 not out. The Aussie helped Sussex secure a quarterfinal spot against Lancashire Lightning at home on September 4. He will also be playing in Sussex’s final five Championship games this season.
“Dan has been top class for us on and off the field. He has brought a wealth of experience to the dressing room and has seriously helped some of our young batters with the development of their games,” Farbrace added.
