County Cricket: My Team of 2025

While I must admit that the highlight of the domestic cricket season was the sterling five-Test contest between England and India, the county season threw up a few welcome surprises. Surrey’s stellar squad failed to win anything, last season’s strugglers Nottinghamshire pipped them for the title at the death, my Somerset boys converted white-ball talent into Blast success and Worcestershire combined Championship relegation with victory in the One-Day Cup. Oh, and Jimmy Anderson tried – with mixed results – to reinvent himself as a supreme Twenty20 exponent. The IPL franchises were unimpressed but Lancashire were more obliging.

Now for my annual review of the stand-out performers on the county circuit. The Hundred doesn’t count, obviously. In arriving at my final Eleven, I looked at consistency across formats while prioritising the Championship ahead of the Blast and then the 50-over competition which was bereft of the one-day aces who preferred to spend their August earning larger salaries in The Hundred. 

Openers 

Ben Compton’s 1,386 runs at an average of 60 were the rare jewels in Kent’s miserable summer. Talking of which, Derbyshire’s Caleb Jewell was the top scorer across all three county competitions. He made only one of my Teams of the Week but accumulated his runs efficiently and consistemtly. Dom Sibley and Haseeb Hameed may have been discarded by Engand selectors years ago, but they were the outstanding openers in Division One. Sibley reached a triple-century out of a massive 820-9 against Durham but in the same match, Alex Lees scored a ton in each innings. Lees just failed to notch 1,000 runs in the four-dayers but had a fruitful T20 campaign. Tom Banton astonished everyone by cracking 371 against Worcestershire at the start of April but couldn’t maintain that throughout Somerset’s season.

Middle Order

Old favourites Wayne Madsen and Colin Ingram showed no signs of slowing down. The 41-year-old Derbyshire stalwart averaged 57 in Division Two adding 431 in the short stuff. Ingram’s Glamorgan colleague Kiran Carlson had an excellent 2024 but was even better this year, especially as the county achieved its first promotion in yonks. Northamptonshire had a rotten time, but nobody scored more Championship runs than their 27-year-old left-hander, Saif Zaib. Max Holden had a few golden moments for Middlesex, James Coles of Sussex made plenty of runs, as did Essex’s Tom Westley, while Hampshire’s Toby Albert topped the batting charts in the Blast, and his counterpart Nick Gubbins did the same in the One-Day Cup. However, my next member of the team of 2025 is Jack Haynes of county champs Notts. He struck four first-class hundreds and boasted a healthy strike rate in one-day cricket, too. 

All Rounders 

Ryan Higgins and Liam Dawson weren’t quite up to their traditional levels but there was no shortage of quality batting all-rounders on the circuit. Notitnghamshire’s Lyndon James included a double-century in his 2025 CV while Tom Lammonby of Somerset saved his best performances for when they really mattered. Lewis Gregory continued to deserve Somerset fans’ adoration, particularly when he whacked the winning six in the Blast final. Ben Kellaway and Rehan Ahmed added considerable runs to their customary spin bowling, and young Ethan Brookes of Worcestershire looked a useful player in both red and white-ball formats. However, my pick is Warwickshire’s Ed Barnard, mostly for his runs in a year when Hain, Davies and Yates didn’t often deliver.

Wicket-Keeper 

Lewis McManus claimed more victims (20 than anyone else in the Blast, while Garth Roderick topped the charts in the Championship, but their batting wasn’t quite up to scratch. James Rew of Somerset looked back to his best and even enjoyed some useful middle-order partnerships with younger brother Thomas. However, like last year, the wicketkeeping slot comes down to a fight between James Bracey (Gloucs) and John Simpson (Sussex). A third of Bracey’s runs came in the One-Day Cup but the South Coast skipper contributed everywhere, excelling in first-class cricket, both with gloves and willow, averaging 60 in his side’s push for fourth place.

Bowlers

Five men took at least fifty Championship wickets, and three of them make my XI. It wasn’t an easy decision. Ben Sanderson (Northants) and Riley Meredith (Somerset) were the most prolific in T20, Ben Allison (Worcs) in the One-Day Cup, while Ben Green (Leics) picked them up in all three competitions.

The evergreen Kyle Abbott ended the Championship season with almost identical figures to those of 2024 and is an automatic selection. Ben Raine’s seam bowling bailed Durham out of a few holes, also contributing useful lower-order runs. George Hill (Yorks) and Luis Reece (Derbys) achieved the half-century with eye-catching sub-20 averages. Spin wasn’t really to the fore this summer. Even Simon Harmer struggled so, for a second consecutive year, I am delighted to induct Somerset’s Jack Leach into the 2025 Eleven. He rarely featured in limited-overs but in the long-form the ex-England left-armer worked hard all season. Surprise bowler of the season must be Tom Taylor. Before April was out, Worcestershire looked doomed, but the 30-year-old plugged away throughout. Nobody took more wickets – 78 in total, including fifteen in the Blast. 

Like the whole country, players and fans alike, I have no idea what the hell is happening to county cricket next year. However, here is my hotly-awaited County XI of 2025;- 

Jewell (Der), Lees (Dur), Haynes (Not), Carlson (Gla), Barnard (War), Zaib (Nor), Simpson (Sus +), Abbott (Ham), Raine (Dur), Taylor (Wor), Leach (Som)

Just missed out: Brookes (Wor), Madsen (Der), Bracey (Glo +), B Green (Lei)

County Cricket: Yorkshire shatter victory margin record

The super-dry tracks may have been to most batsmen’s liking but bowlers were able to hasten a few extremely decisive results in the County Championship. Yorkshire even went as far as breaking the competition’s record for a winning margin by runs, humbling Worcestershire at Headingley by a whopping 504. Inside three days! The home side knocked 425 on day one then, when Coad and Thompson reduced Worcester from 90-0 to 162 all out, the dominance became still more pronounced. Dom Bess struck his maiden century, Malan and Bairstow upped the tempo before declaring, setting a fanciful target of 610. Worcestershire barely lasted a session, the seamers again in charge. 

At Hove, Sussex were on course for a similar slaughter, with Somerset their hapless victims. They inflicted the greatest damage with the bat on days two and three. Tons by Tom Haines and John Simpson helped Sussex to a second-innings total of 501-7 but there was no Banton blockbuster to save the game (he was out for a duck). Abell, Gregory and Pretorious showed some resistance but young left-arm seamer Sean Hunt took his match tally to nine wickets and his side to victory by 260 runs. 

It was a much tenser finish at Chester-le-Street. Durham and Warwickshire produced a belter which could have gone either way. Local lad and last year’s England under-19 captain Ben McKinney top-scored with 153 but there were runs made all the way down the order for both teams. On the last day, chasing 339, Warwickshire were reduced by Potts and Raine to 90-5, but the combination of Ed Barnard’s experience and canny play by the youthful ‘keeper Kai Smith and all-rounder Michael Booth, polished off by a six from Ethan Bamber, took them over the line by one wicket. 

Champions Surrey could manage only a draw at The Oval against Hampshire despite a couple of hundreds by Dom Sibley. To their credit, the visitors recovered from 35-3 overnight to bat out the last day, thanks largely to Nick Gubbins’ 117 and Toby Albert’s unbeaten 78. At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire and Essex also appeared too well-matched to achieve a win for either county. Notts batsman Jack Haynes (142) shepherded the tail in the second innings to make it safe, leaving Essex no time to launch an attack. 

The Easter fixtures include Surrey facing a run-happy Sussex and the other joint leaders, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire playing each other in Birmingham. The holiday weekend weather forecast looks grim, though. 

In Division Two, Kent became the only county to win their opening two games, defeating Middlesex by eight wickets at Canterbury. Bowlers were largely in charge for the first three innings until the Kent duo of Ben Compton and Tawanda Muyeye tipped the balance the other way with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 225. 

Despite their two wins, Kent sit a point behind Leicestershire at the top following the latter’s draw at home to Derbyshire. Runs flowed continuously, although only Martin Andersson (101) reached three figures. Interesting to see Leicester’s former boy wonder spinner being used as an opening batsman, not without success. 

At Old Trafford, Lancashire were forced to follow on after Northamptonshire racked up 496 and Calvin Harrison took 4-34. However, Josh Bohannon (155) led the Red Roses to the security of a draw, although tall leggie Harrison captured another seven wickets. In the Severn derby, Gloucestershire generally had the better of Glamorgan. Cameron Bancroft and Oliver Price laid the foundations of a likely success but the ever-reliable Colin Ingram ensured that didn’t happen. They next travel to bottom side Middlesex, Gloucestershire aim to deny Kent a third successive win and Lancashire host leaders Leicestershire. 

Team of the Week:-  McKinney (Dur), Sibley (Sur), Haynes (Not), Malan (Yor), Ingram (Gla), K Smith (War +), Potts (Dur), Harrison (Nor), Booth (War), Thompson (Yor), Hunt (Sus)

3 in 3 for Worcestershire

While the big names have been diverted to the Hundred the One-Day Cup has given some of the lesser lights of the county circuit to showcase their skills. Worcestershire are the only side to have won their first three fixtures, thanks to last night’s rout of Essex by 182 runs. Jack Haynes and Brett D’Oliveira shared a county record opening stand of 243, and the latter also chipped in with three cheap wickets, as did Joe Leach. The impressive Haynes accumulated almost 300 across the week.

Warwickshire’s Rob Yates passed fifty three times, team-mate Matt Lamb struck his maiden List A century and there were similar achievements from Leicestershire’s Rishi Patel, Surrey’s Ryan Patel (ten sixes in his 131) and Yorkshire’s teenager Harry Duke. 

Somerset enjoyed two victories, including an exciting one-run nail-biter against Glamorgan. Earlier in the week, it was veterans James Hildreth and Steven Davies who starred with the bat but in their Severn Estuary derby clash it was young captain Ben Green (87 and 2-32) and rookie seamers Sonny Baker and Kasey Aldridge who just about did enough. A devastating early spell by Michael Hogan, old enough to be their dad, had given the Welsh a chance but Andy Gorvin could only strike a four not six from the final ball. 

Perhaps the best match of the week came at Scarborough. Graham Clark’s second ton in three games helped Durham to a challenging 335-4 but Bracey and Charlesworth kept Gloucestershire in the hunt at the death. Nevertheless they still needed 16 off the final over, from the redoubtable Chris Rushworth, but two sixes and a four by Jack Taylor gave the West Countrymen their first win. All-round performance of the past seven days must be that of Hampshire’s Nick Gubbins. In a comfortable defeat of Sussex at Southampton, he produced an unbeaten 131 then his part-time leg-spin yielded an excellent 4-38. 

Next week, the juiciest ties include Worcestershire’s hosting of Middlesex, Lancashire’s trip to Durham and the Surrey-Somerset encounter next Thursday, by which time the One-Day Cup will be warming up nicely. 

Team of the Week: Haynes (Wor), G Clark (Dur), Yates (War), R Patel (Sur), Gubbins (Ham), Cullen (Gla +), D Lamb (Lan), Hudson-Prentice (Der), Leach (Wor), Aldridge (Som), Hogan (Gla)