Chris Adams believes Surrey target Rory Hamilton-Brown could be a future England captain.

Former Sussex skipper Adams, who is now Cricket Manager at The Oval, hopes the 22-year-old will become Surrey’s next captain after speaking to him last week.

But even if he stays at Hove, Adams regards the all-rounder as a potential captain of his country one day.

He said: “When I was at Sussex and we signed Rory (in 2007) one of the things we identified was his leadership potential.

“Nothing has made me change my mind. He has developed so well with Sussex but we feel it is a good time for him to come back to Surrey.

“But whatever happens I genuinely believe he could go on and captain his country one day. So much can happen in the next few years but he is a special lad with so much potential both as a player and a captain.”

Hamilton-Brown is poised to decide whether to stay at Sussex and accept their offer of a three-year contract or return to Surrey as captain.