Hampshire have signed Mark Stoneman for the 2025 County Championship season to cover for the loss of James Vince, who is stepping away from first-class cricket this year.
Stoneman joins the club on a on-year red ball contract, having left Middlesex at the end of last summer. The 37-year-old adds experience to a well-oiled domestic side who finished second in Division One last term, but have been left short by Vince opting out of red-ball cricket this summer, a decision partly taken to work around the ECB's new stance on No Objection Certificates (NOC) and protect his contract to play in the PSL.
Vince had captained Hampshire across all formats for almost a decade, and will be replaced by wicketkeeper batter Ben Brown taking the reins in the Championship. However, Vince's loss as one of the club's most prolific batters - top-scoring last season with 986 runs at an average of 49.30 - has put the onus on bringing reinforcements to the Utilita Bowl promptly with the start of the English domestic season just two months away.
Stoneman is a reliable opening batter who boasts 14,448 first-class runs at an average of 34.23, with 31 centuries. The left-hander came through the ranks at Durham, playing in three Championship-winning sides at Chester-le-Street, and captained their One-Day Cup success in 2014, before moving to the Kia Oval for the 2017 season. He subsequently played a key role in Surrey's 2018 title success - their first since 2002.
It was while at Surrey that Stoneman earned 11 Test caps for England, which included the 2017-18 Ashes, passing fifty five times without making it to three figures. A move to Middlesex arrived midway through 2021 (initially on loan) on a three-year deal, which the club eventually decided not to renew.
"I'm very much looking forward to joining Hampshire for the upcoming season," said Stoneman via a statement from Hampshire on Thursday. "I know how hungry the club is to get their hands on the Championship having been so close for the last few years.
"There's a fantastic group of players and coaches who I look forward to joining up with, and hopefully we can get our hands on that red ball title come September."
Giles White, Hampshire's director of cricket, added: "We believe Mark has a lot to offer. He's won Championships and played at the highest level, and it was evident when we met that he is extremely motivated to have an impact at the club.
"It feels like a great fit for both parties and we are excited by his arrival."
Hampshire are also expected to announced the signing of New South Wales' impressive allrounder Jack Edwards soon. Edwards, at the time of writing, has 26 wickets and 386 runs in the ongoing Sheffield Shield season, and would help fill the void left by Pakistan seamer Mohammed Abbas, who has joined Nottinghamshire. Hampshire explained Abbas' release was down to the need to "rebalance" their squad in Vince's absence.