Ben Brown has challenged Sussex to end a difficult season on a high despite seeing their title hopes left in tatters.

Sussex take on Leicestershire at Grace Road today with little but pride to play for following their hammering at home by Kent last week.

Back to back wins had revived Sussex’s prospects of making a late challenge for promotion but a young side missing the likes of Ed Joyce and Luke Wright crashed to a humbling defeat by an innings and 127 runs.

Joyce returns from Ireland duty today but Wright is missing again against his former county due to an arm injury so Brown continues to stand in as captain.

The wicketkeeper from Crawley will be making his 100th first class appearance and hopes it will go a lot better than his 99th.

He said: “It couldn’t get much worse to be honest!

“I think most counties would have struggled to lose so many players – especially the calibre of personnel – all at once but having said that we still know it wasn’t good enough.

“We’ve certainly got a point to prove this week so I am expecting a much better performance. The game against Kent took a lot of wind out of our sails but the aim now is to finish the season strongly.

“It’s nice to have Ed and Jofra (Archer) back but it’s still going to be a pretty young team at Leicestershire and you want those guys to show what they are about.”

Brown was just forcing his way into the Sussex first team on his only previous Championship outing at Grace Road in 2010 and admits reaching a century of first class games will be something special.

He added: “It’s nice from a personal point of view.

“I remember the last time I came to Leicester it was only my fifth first class game so to come back with it being my 100th shows I must be doing something right.”

Steve Magoffin is also set to play his 150th first class game as he leads a bowling attack boosted by the return of Archer who had returned to Barbados for a family funeral.

Seamer Abidine Sakande, 21, is also added to the squad and would become the latest Sussex academy product to make his Championship debut this season if he gets the nod.

Although the return of Joyce will strengthen an inexperienced batting line-up which was horribly exposed by Kent in the last game Sussex are still depleted by injuries with Matt Machan and Harry Finch ruled out along with Wright.

Seamers George Garton and Stuart Whittingham are also sidelined while all-rounder Chris Jordan is unavailable as he is part of the England squad for the Twenty20 clash with Pakistan tomorrow.

In contrast Leicestershire are able to welcome back overseas star Clint McKay from a calf injury while Zak Chappell, Ollie Freckingham and Rob Sayer are also in contention to play along with the XI that featured in their defeat to Essex last time out.

Sussex squad: Archer, Briggs, Brown, Cachopa, Hudson-Prentice, Joyce, Magoffin, Nash, Robinson, Sakande, Salt, Wells, Wiese.

Leicestershire squad: Horton, Robson, Dexter, Cosgrove, Pettini, Eckersley, Hill, Sayer, McKay, Raine, Jones, Klein, Shreck, Chappell, Freckingham.