IT’S A PROJECT THAT EXCITES ME

New head coach Paul Farbrace regards Sussex as ‘a project that really excites me’ after his appointment at the end of 2022.

The former England assistant coach had spent the last three years as sporting director of Warwickshire CCC, overseeing their County Championship victory in 2021 alongside former Sussex coach Mark Robinson.

Farbrace is full of enthusiasm when discussing his new role. “The phrase I have in my head is opportunity for everybody. I am really delighted to be here.”

Farbrace left Warwickshire last September and had many attractive opportunities presented to him to work in franchise leagues around the world. But the chance to leave an imprint on Sussex appealed more. “It’s a project and being able to get your teeth into something really excites me. To be able to share responsibility for driving the club forward is huge and I think the rewards for all of us at the end of this could be massive.”

Farbrace is no stranger to success having won trophies with Sri Lanka, England and Warwickshire in various roles. The former wicketkeeper was head coach of the Sri Lankan side that won the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup, the first in their history.

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He says his main aim is to create a winning environment at the club. “I will make no apology for talking about winning at every opportunity that I can, because I have not come here to just help to develop a group of talented players. I have come here to win and be part of a winning team. I love winning, I hate losing.”

Sussex have won just three first-class matches across three years during a difficult period for the club and finished seventh in their Vitality Blast group in 2022. The county handed a number of debuts to young players over the last few seasons and broke numerous records across different competitions for the average age and callowness of their side. Dan Ibrahim became the youngest player in the history of the Championship to score a half century at 16 years and 299 days in June 2021 while the team which played Worcestershire later that year was the youngest in the competition’s history. But wins have been few and far between and confidence was affected as a result.

Farbrace is excited to work with one of the most talented young squads in the country and remembers a Royal London One Day Cup game between his former county and his new one for bringing to his attention the potential in Sussex’s squad. “The [50 overs] game at Edgbaston last year was a fantastic game of cricket with 600 runs scored and sitting watching some of the Sussex batters was exciting. There was a bloke called [Cheteshwar] Pujara with a bit more experience who played exceptionally well and nearly got the team over the line, but I thought there was a talented group of young players there.”

Sussex had a few experienced heads around the dressing room, including former England internationals Ravi Bopara and Steven Finn, but post-Christmas recruitment focused on bringing in more senior players hence the arrivals of Steve Smith, Shadab Khan and Nathan McAndrew, who will all play a part this summer, along with the returning Pujara.

“Around every successful team your senior players play a key role. The danger of having lots of good young players is they know they’re playing and that there isn’t maybe the battle to get into the team.”

Another of Farbrace’s aims is to stop the exodus of players from Hove to other counties in recent seasons. “The plan is selling them the dream that I have. The image I have in my head is winning trophies and players playing for England at all levels. You don’t need to go to a first division club to do that.”

Time will tell but Farbrace has made a positive impact even before a ball is bowled this season. “I want a team that our supporters will enjoy watching and getting behind. The talent is definitely there, and we all have to take on the challenge of winning games consistently again.”