County Cricket Championship briefing… Open season for top-order hopefuls

Hampshire's James Vince

Harry Trump/Getty Images

Will Macpherson5 April 2019

With England’s Test top order in flux once again, it has been heartening to see candidates a) flaying University attacks to all parts in pre-season and b) stepping up the order in search of more responsibility.

James Vince, who will open for Hampshire, is the prime example, but there is a race for the top at Surrey, too, with Jason Roy, Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes all desperate to bat as high as possible. There are certainly places up for grabs — and the ultimate carrot of a home Ashes series as the reward. Rory Burns should keep his spot, but who joins him in England’s top three is anyone’s guess. The best of the lot, of course, is not in contention: Sir Alastair Cook should enjoy his tour of the Shires with Essex.

What’s that? A niche renaissance?

County cricket has been enjoying a quiet, niche renaissance. Interest is there, as livestreams, liveblogs and the rest attest. This summer, it should be all the more watchable because — wait for it — most of the competition will actually take place in the summer. It’s a novel move, so let’s just hope it stays dry.

It is a one-off to facilitate a rejig next year, but three going up from Division Two and just one being relegated should make both tiers more watchable. The jeopardy of only an eighth of top-flight teams going down should discourage safety-first cricket, while a golden opportunity awaits Division Two teams.

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You’re never going to be too far from an Aussie in county cricket this year as they flood over in a bid to prove their Ashes credentials. Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Bancroft and Peter Siddle will certainly strengthen the competition but it is the return of James Pattinson that is most exciting. His — and Stuart Broad’s — presence makes Nottinghamshire Surrey’s closest title rivals, but expect Somerset, Essex and Hampshire to be up there, too.