HAMPSHIRE will divvy up captaincy responsibilities between James Vince and George Bailey during the forthcoming 2017 season.

England batsman Vince, appointed skipper at the Ageas Bowl two years ago, continues as club captain and takes charge of the team in limited overs matches.

But overseas star Bailey is taking over leadership duties for Hampshire's County Championship campaign.

The former Australia Twenty20 international skipper, who had a short stint with the county in 2013, returned on a two-year deal during the off-season.

Vince will nevertheless captain the team in their opening three Division One matches – starting at Yorkshire on April 7 – with Bailey delaying his arrival in England to get married back in his homeland.

The 34-year-old is likely to begin his new role when Hampshire visit Essex for a four-day contest on May 19.

Vince's opening white ball match at the helm is due to be a Royal London One-Day Cup trip to Kent on April 27, with this year's Natwest T20 Blast not getting underway until early July.

Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: “We are fortunate to have two excellent captains within the squad and a split between the formats seems a sensible option for us.

“This will allow James and George to channel their focus into the different formats, which should benefit the squad as it looks to compete in all forms of the game.”