Hampshire have eyes on first title in 50 years but Lancashire have recruited well and champions Surrey will be tough to beatCaptain Tom Westley (Championship and 50-over Cup) Coach: Anthony McGrath Last season: 4th Continue reading...
Lancashire and Warwickshire look most likely to fight for the title, with Jimmy Anderson’s availability potentially decisive, while Hampshire benefit from a bolstered batting lineup Continue reading...
Somerset and Surrey look best equipped to battle for the title while Division Two features an intriguing race to make the top three promotion places Related: The Spin | Enjoy the cricket season ahead … it will be the last of its kind | Tanya Aldred Twitter: follow us at @guardian_sport Related: Alex Hales: ‘It takes 10 seconds to get an image, 10 years to undo it’ Related: Joe Root v Stuart Broad kicks off cricket bonanza in summer to savour | Vic Marks Continue reading...
Cameron Bancroft has never played for Durham but in 1998 Somerset took a punt with Jamie Cox and never looked backCameron Bancroft is not the first Australian to be made captain of a county cricket club he has never represented. In 1998 Somerset were in a similar quandary to Durham this spring. They were casting around for a captain as counties so often do because it is such a difficult job to fill satisfactorily.In contrast to the majority of team sports the captain in cricket is much more than a titular post. He is the key man, who makes the most important decisions – in between clocking up vital runs and wickets – and the best coaches understand that. It...
The former England captain joined Durham before their inaugural County Championship season in 1992 but will need to work his magic again if the heavily penalised county are to prosper in the season aheadThe first time Ian Botham came to Durham, he arrived on Good Friday. For the press, the comparison was irresistible. “Durham’s own Messiah”, as the Guardian called him, arrived just in time, two days before their very first competitive fixture as a first-class county. The rest of the squad had been together for a while already, doing their winter training in a warehouse, playing warm-ups against Essex and Oxford University. The weather had been “bloody freezing”, and the club’s chief executive, Mike Gear, was hoping that “the...