Two former south coast cricketers are facing lifetime bans after being charged with fixing a county match.

Lou Vincent and Naveed Arif have been charged with match-fixing offences by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - the first charges ever brought in connection with fixing a county game.

Former New Zealand batsman Vincent, 35, faces 14 charges and there are six charges against 32-year-old pace bowler Arif, who played for Pakistan A.

The charges relate to a 40-over match between Sussex and Kent at Hove in August 2011, while Vincent is also charged in relation to a Twenty20 match between Sussex and Lancashire in the same month.

The players, neither of whom play in England any more, have been suspended and face lifetime bans - effective worldwide - if the charges are proven.

Vincent is already under investigation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for spot-fixing but this is an ECB charge and the first charges of a county cricket match being fixed.

There is no suggestion that any other player from either Sussex, Kent or Lancashire was involved.

Chris Watts, head of the ECB's anti-corruption unit, said: ''This has been an extremely complex and lengthy investigation coordinated across many jurisdictions around the world.

''This matter is now the subject of formal legal proceedings, and we will therefore make no further comment other than to reiterate our determination to bring to account the very small minority who seek to corrupt cricket.''

ECB chief executive David Collier added: ''The ECB's ACCESS unit has worked tirelessly in conjunction with the ICC's ACSU (anti-corruption and security unit) to bring about these charges, which once again demonstrates the ECB's zero tolerance approach to corruption in our great game.''

Arif's solicitor Imran Khan said in a statement: ''In view of Mr Arif's right to a fair hearing before the anti-corruption tribunal, we do not intend to make any further comment at this juncture.''

Arif, who went on to play league cricket in Staffordshire after leaving Sussex, conceded 41 runs in six wicketless overs, including two wides, in the game against Kent. Vincent was run out for one off seven balls.

The match attracted bets totalling more than £12million on one legal gambling website alone, the highest total for any match of its kind in the past three years, which drew suspicions at the time but was cleared by the ICC's anti-corruption unit.