Sussex announce Bailey coup

Australia batsman George Bailey has signed to play for Sussex in the second half of this season’s domestic T20 Blast competition, the English county announced on Wednesday. Bailey, 32, will take over from Sri Lanka great Mahela Jayawardene, who will be Sussex’s overseas player for their first seven group fixtures in the tournament. Bailey, who previously played for Hampshire, has captained Australia in both limited-overs formats and was a member of the squad that triumphed at the World Cup last month. “I’m delighted that I will be heading to Hove and I am looking forward to testing myself once more in one of the toughest domestic cricket environments,“ Bailey said. “I have heard excellent things about the set-up at Sussex and we have an exciting squad.“