HOVE — Sussex County Cricket Club has accepted an emergency bailout from the England and Wales Cricket Board, placing the club under special measures until January 2029. The rescue package follows a £1.3 million trading loss in 2025 and addresses a projected £1 million shortfall in the current financial year.

Sussex will start their campaign against Leicestershire with a 12-point deduction due to sustained operating losses and have been docked one point in each of the season's two limited-overs competitions.

Chairman Mark West told the annual general meeting in Hove that the club had exhausted all alternatives before accepting the ECB's terms. "Despite exploring all options, the club had run out of cash and had no choice but to accept the ECB's conditions," West said. He confirmed that the club must have the ECB's permission to sign new players to comply with the bailout conditions.

Head coach Paul Farbrace expressed uncertainty about his future and that of his players at the meeting. Farbrace said he had no idea whether he would still be at the club in a year's time and that his squad were angry and disappointed when they learned about the extent of the club's financial problems, but that they remain fully committed to Sussex.

Farbrace dismissed reports that all-rounder James Coles had been approached by Hampshire but acknowledged the club's vulnerable position. He said he expects some of his players to be targeted by other counties later in the season. The arrivals of Australian Daniel Hughes and Indian player Jaydev Unadkat for the season are unaffected by the ECB's constraints.

Management consultant Campbell Tickell will undertake a review of the club's structure and governance, with findings expected in June. Some members of Sussex's board have resigned following the AGM.