Hampshire is set to sign Mark Stoneman for the 2025 County Championship season as a replacement for James Vince, who is leaving first-class cricket. Stoneman, 37, has not played since departing Middlesex and would bring valuable experience to a team that finished second in Division One last season. Vince, a prolific scorer and captain, opted out of red-ball cricket due to ECB policy changes affecting contracts. Stoneman, with 14,448 first-class runs and 31 centuries, previously played for Durham and Surrey. Additionally, Hampshire is expected to announce the signing of New South Wales allrounder Jack Edwards soon.
Vince has led Hampshire in all formats for nearly a decade and will be succeeded by wicketkeeper-batter Ben Brown as captain in the Championship. Nevertheless, Vince’s absence as one of the club’s top scorers – having accumulated 986 runs at an average of 49.30 last season – places the responsibility on securing reinforcements at the Utilita Bowl swiftly, with the English domestic season commencing in just two months.
Stoneman is a dependable opening batter with an impressive tally of 14,448 first-class runs at an average of 34.23, including 31 centuries. He developed his career at Durham, being part of three Championship-winning teams at Chester-le-Street and captaining the One-Day Cup triumph in 2014 before joining the Kia Oval for the 2017 season. He played a pivotal role in Surrey’s title-winning campaign in 2018 – their first since 2002.
During his time at Surrey, Stoneman earned 11 Test caps for England, participating in the 2017-18 Ashes series, where he passed fifty on five occasions without reaching three figures. Midway through 2021, he moved to Middlesex (initially on loan) on a three-year contract, which the club ultimately chose not to extend.