Luke Wright ends first-class career by signing white-ball contract at Sussex

The south coast club announced on Monday that the 34-year-old has signed fresh terms, prolonging his stay at Hove for an unspecified period of time - Sussex's policy is to not publicly confirm contract lengths

Luke Wright says that an ambition of extending his career for another "five or six" years is a major driver behind his decision to take a white-ball only contract at Sussex.

Wright has formally retired from first-class cricket but will continue playing limited-overs matches for Sussex, the county he has called home since arriving from Leicestershire in 2004.

The south coast club announced on Monday that the 34-year-old has signed fresh terms, prolonging his stay at Hove for an unspecified period of time - Sussex's policy is to not publicly confirm contract lengths.

Wright will now be eligible for selection in this year's Royal London One-Day Cup, which is due to begin next week.

"I’m hoping to carry on playing for the next five to six years and therefore I’m delighted to be committing my future to Sussex with this contract," he said.

^{Luke Wright has ended his first-class career}

"I’m hugely proud of my first-class record – it’s something that has often surprised people who think of me as having been a white-ball specialist - and I was lucky to join Sussex under Peter Moores and Chris Adams ahead of a period of unprecedented success for the county.

"I’ll miss first-class cricket greatly and would always advise any youngsters making their way in the game that four-day runs are always the most rewarding.

"Dizzy (head coach Jason Gillespie) and Browny (captain Ben Brown) have my full support going forward and I believe in what they’re trying to achieve with this exciting young team.

"I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the Royal London One-Day Cup next week and to building on the fantastic T20 cricket we played last year when the Vitality Blast campaign gets underway in July.

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"Finally, I’d like to say a massive thank you to all the staff, players and coaches for all the support I’ve had during my 16 years of first-class cricket and for the continued support I know I will receive as I enter the next chapter of my career."

Wright won two County Championship titles with Sussex, in 2006 and 2007, and played 139 first-class games for the county. He accumulated more than 7,000 runs for the club in the format.

Gillespie paid tribute to the batsman, saying: "I sat down with Wrighty at the end of last season and he was keen to work over the winter to try and cement his role in the four-day side. He missed out on selection for the first game with a couple of the other lads given an opportunity and he has been very selfless in making way for other players to come through.

"Luke’s been brilliant for Sussex in first-class cricket for many years and his record reflects what he has achieved in that form of the game."