HE is English cricket’s leading T20 spinner, the youngest since the great Derek Underwood to take 100 first-class wickets as well as being Hampshire’s youngest international cricketer.

But Hampshire have done the right thing in releasing Danny Briggs with a year of his contract still to run.

He will be a massive loss, particularly in the T20 format, his accuracy and subtle changes of pace having been integral to Hampshire reaching Finals Day for the last six seasons. 

Replacing him will be tough, but a bowler of Briggs’ calibre should be playing all formats and in Sussex he has found the perfect second home.

Briggs is domiciled on the Isle of Wight with his young family so a move anywhere else would have been a big wrench.

He already has happy memories of Hove. It was at the ‘BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground’ that he took his 100th first-class wicket, in July 2011.

Aged just 20 years and three months, he reached the milestone at a younger age than the likes of Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar and John Emburey.

Admittedly, it is a statistic skewed by his 33 wickets in six matches in the West Indies’ relatively weak four-day competition earlier that year, for the England Lions. But it is impressive nonetheless.

Briggs’ 191 first-class wickets (158 for Hampshire at 34) include only 78 at 32 in the last four years after being restricted to playing half of his county’s Championship matches from 2012-15.

It is fair to say more was expected when he was claiming the scalps of Marcus Trescothick, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and, ironically, now Hampshire first-team coach Dale Benkenstein in his first two Championship matches as an 18 year-old.

With his strength being his changes of pace rather than extravagant turn, Briggs was bracketed as a limited-overs bowler early in his career.

But he has shown in taking 327 wickets in all cricket (including 119 T20 victims at 19.4) that he is more than capable of adapting to all formats.

It is easy to forget he is an England international, the last of his eight caps (seven T20 and one ODI) having come in January 2014.

He is still only 24 and history has shown spinners mature with age. All being well, Briggs’ best years are ahead of him. He could easily have another 15 seasons in him.

The progress made by Mason Crane and Brad Taylor, and Liam Dawson’s all-round skills, meant he had dropped to fourth in line for Hampshire’s sole spinner spot in the Championship.

But at Sussex he will be well used and a natural replacement for the retired Michael Yardy in the county’s limited-overs attacks.

Briggs may even play a full season of Championship cricket for the first time as Sussex bid to regain their top flight status.

Sussex certainly know what he is capable of. Briggs has taken more Championship wickets against Hampshire's local rivals than any other county (22 at 27 apiece), including 7-101 (4-74 and 3-27) at The Ageas Bowl in the opening match of his last season.

He has also taken more T20 wickets against Sussex than any other side, bar Glamorgan (16 at 17.6).

No doubt there will be times when Hampshire will wish Briggs was still wearing the Rose and Crown and not the Martlets.

But it will be good to see his telent fulfilled. Better that than see it wasted in Hampshire’s Second XI.