Former Surrey batsman Ali Brown has signed a two year contract with Nottinghamshire.

Brown, 38, spent 21 years at The Oval and has scored first-class centuries against every other county. An explosive opener in one day cricket, he has played for England in 16 One Day Internationals and hit a 160-ball 268 against Glamorgan in 2002.

“Notts are primed to challenge for the Championship and I want to hit the ground running and help the team to push for honours,” said Brown.

“For me, the buzz of playing cricket comes from winning competitions and I feel that I’ve got two more years to win things at this level. I’ve always been confident in my ability, I’m feeling fit and I want to play for Notts in all forms of the game.”

Notts Director of Cricket Mick Newell was keen to secure the services of a specialist batsman to add depth to a squad that could otherwise be stretched by absent internationals.

Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad are centrally contracted while Samit Patel and Graeme Swann have incremental contracts and are likely to be called on by England.

“Ali has a lot to offer as a cricketer but he’s also an experienced head who will act as a role model to younger players,” said Newell.

“He’s an exciting one day player at the top of the order and he can play an important role for us over the next two years.”