The daffodils are still out, the storms keep rolling in from the Atlantic and cut-price Easter eggs are still on the shelves. It must be time to start the English cricket season!
As ever, the County Championship will be won by the team with the most available international stars, the classiest of English veterans who will never play for their country (again) and youngsters who compile runs and take wickets without an individual match-winning performance to catch the eye of selectors.
In addition to the usual bunch of South African Kolpak players, counties will be relying on New Zealanders to bolster their squads, although the likes of Williamson and McCullum will be otherwise occupied during the IPL and other money-spinning tournaments later in the summer.
Last year, Yorkshire were out of sight long before the end. With Specsavers as the new sponsors, the rest of Division One will hope they don’t need binoculars to spot the White Roses at the top of the table for a third year running. Could they do it?
There’s no reason why not. Even without Joe Root and possibly Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid, their batting is as strong as ever. Lyth and Balance have been tried and discarded, to the county’s advantage. Their seam attack may be creaking somewhat, but if they stay injury-free, the likes of Brooks, Bresnan and Sidebottom are as good as anyone, and it will be interesting to see how new signing David Willey settles in after his transfer from Northants.
Durham have a consistent look about their team, with Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman increasingly important to their chances. Last season’s player of the year, Chris Rushworth, will be needed to win matches with the ball, especially as John Hastings will probably miss the whole season after shoulder surgery, and Ben Stokes is nailed on for all England’s fixtures.
Warwickshire could be contenders if only their batting could measure up to the bowling led by the likes of Barker, Jeetan Patel, Clarke and Wright, who always seem to score more runs than the top five! If 2016 skipper Iain Bell gets a decent run in the Championship, and Sam Hain reproduces last year’s form, the county should avoid relegation.
Nottinghamshire may struggle without James Taylor on England duty, but if Stuart Broad and Alex Hales are allowed to play, all is not lost. Hampshire pulled off a minor miracle to avoid relegation last season, and welcome Reece Topley to the squad for 2016. James Vince and Adam Wheater are amongst the few players under the age of 30, which may affect their chances of staying fit and consequently in the top tier next year
Middlesex surprised me last year, and Nick Compton’s return to Lord’s bolstered their batting. James Harris needs to be wrapped up in cotton wool , as does Australian Test star and county skipper Adam Voges. Somerset will also be dependent on runs from another Aussie enjoying a great Indian summer, Chris Rogers. Marcus Trescothick’s fitness is causing concern and, having reached the age of 40, our evergreen hero can no longer be relied upon for top order runs. I hope young Tom Abell can turn useful 50s into centuries, and that James Hildreth doesn’t have to shoulder the burden of racking up big scores. Having released a number of bowlers, the Overton twins will be even more valuable to the Cidermen’s cause. I do fear that 2016 is the year when they finally get consigned to the dreaded drop, although head coach Matthew Maynard won’t give up easily.
I reckon newly promoted Lancashire and Surrey will experienced mixed fortunes. The Red Rose outfit have been domestic cricket’s yo-yo club in recent years and, without the prolific Ashwell Prince (retired) and ex-skipper Paul Horton (offloaded to Leicestershire), their batting bonus points are in danger of drying up. In 2015, their younger players were excellent in one-day cricket, too, but I’d love to see the venerable Glen Chapple be given the opportunity to take his thousandth first-class wicket before retirement!
Fellow rich kids Surrey should manage to survive this time around. No KP (oh dear, what a shame….) and some of their seamers will miss the early fixtures but they still boast sufficient strength in depth to not only avoid relegation but possibly challenge for the pennant. The Curran brothers, newly acquired left-arm quick Mark Footitt, opener Rory Burns and Kumar Sangakkara could be key.
With the Championship structure changing in 2017, there is only one promotion place from Division Two this season. I’d expect Sussex to bounce back quickly. They’ll miss the retired Michael Yardy but Luke Wright is as useful as ever, now adding the captaincy to his all-round responsibilities. Spinner Danny Briggs could excel.
With Willey gone to Yorkshire, Northants may not be so quick to escape. Essex will benefit from the arrival of Ashar Zaidi, and if their young batsmen Browne and Lawrence hit form early, they must be in contention. Gloucestershire may be too reliant on Michael Klinger, when he joins the squad, and Glamorgan’s inconsistency is maddening.
Kent really should be in the top three, although if Sam Billings is away with England too often, their chances will suffer. Sam Northeast was one of county cricket’s 2015 stars but the county must hope his white-ball runs don’t flow at the expense of the red-ball ones. Worcestershire also have justified hopes of a swift return. Joe Leach took lots of wickets last summer, but Tom Fell’s runs will be missing as he battles cancer, a fight far more important than a contest between bat and ball.
Derbyshire and Leicestershire wil probably be vying to avoid bottom place. The former have some decent players like Godleman and Madsen but with Footitt migrating south to the bright lights of London, I can’t see Derby bowling many sides out twice. As for Leicestershire, just finishing eighth will be a major success. Having roped in some experienced batters like Pettini, Horton and Dexter, that is not impossible. Clint McKay was their bowling workhorse and would welcome some decent support during this campaign.
So to my predictions:-
Champions: Yorkshire (again!)
Relegated: Somerset and Lancashire
Promoted: Sussex
