The penultimate round of fixtures in this year’s county championship gets underway tomorrow. In this post I pick a composite XI from this season’s competition.

THE GROUND RULES

I have focussed my attentions on division one. I have restricted myself to one overseas player, and the person concerned is an absolutely integral part of his county set up and has been such for many years.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

1. Dom Sibley (Surrey, right handed opening batter). He has had a very good season for the team who are heavy favourites to claim this season’s title, including anchoring a successful chase of 500 (against Kent, and he was there unbeaten when Surrey secured the win).
2. Sir Alastair Cook (Essex, left handed opening batter). His England days are well behind him, but at county level there is little sign of either the will or the ability failing just yet.
3. Josh Bohannon (Lancashire, right handed batter, occasional right arm medium pacer). The Lancashire number three continues to impress in that role, and with his average in FC cricket close to 47 after 65 matches one would expect that an England call up could be on the agenda.
4. Jamie Smith (Surrey, right handed batter, occasional wicket keeper). A phenomenally talented batter, it was his stroke play that began to turn the tide Surrey’s way in the 500 chase mentioned earlier.
5. +Ben Foakes (Surrey, right handed batter, wicket keeper). For those asking why the wicket keeper is due to come in after only four specialist batters the answer is very simple – the team who are very likely to be champions have been taking this approach all season, and it has been Foakes coming in at number five. The best keeper in the competition, he has also been batting superbly, and his continued absence from the England set up can only be down to wilful blindness on the part of the England selectors (“There are none so blind as those who will not see”).
6. James Rew (Somerset, right handed batter, occasional wicket keeper). When I posted my all time Rs XI I mentioned a then 18 year old who already had centuries to his name in both FC and list A cricket as a likely candidate a few years down the line. James Rew, for he it was, has made that line look like the words of a soothsayer, as he is currently the leading run scorer in the competition, with 1077 at 59.83 (Bohannon is number two, only a few runs in aggregate, but 3.5 per innings behind), a haul that includes a sensational 221, and he is still only 19 years old. I fully expect to see him playing test cricket in the not too distant future.
7. Matt Critchley (Essex, right handed batter, leg spinner). Essex are Surrey’s last remaining challengers for the title and Critchley’s contributions, especially with the bat (over 700 runs including two centuries) , are a significant part of why Essex are doing so well this season.
8. *Simon Harmer (South Africa, Essex, off spinner, right handed batter). The best spinner on the county circuit and a decent skipper. Currently on 51 wickets for the season, third leading wicket taker in the competition.
9. Gus Atkinson (Surrey, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). A combination of factors means that he has not played a championship game since July, but his FC record is good (averages 28 with the bat and 26 with the ball) and he has done splendidly for England in limited overs cricket since being given the opportunity. His ability to produce the 90mph+ ball gets him – neither of my other seam/ pace options have that in their locker, fine bowlers though they both are.
10. Brett Hutton (Northamptonshire, right arm medium fast bowler, right handed batter). His county are almost certain to be relegated, but he is the competition’s leading wicket taker with 54 wickets at 21.27 each.
11. Jamie Porter (Essex, right arm medium fast bowler, right handed batter). The second leading wicket taker in this year’s competition so far, with 53 scalps at a miserly 17.39 each.

This side has a strong batting line up, with major performers in that department down to Critchley at seven and only the number 11 Porter a genuine bunny. The bowling is excellent, with Porter, Hutton, Atkinson and Harmer a seriously good front four, Critchley a genuine fifth option and Bohannon capable of rolling an arm over if needed. All 11 players have been in good form this season, though I acknowledge that Atkinson could be seen as a controversial pick in a county championship XI, I have explained the reason for that choice.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

I would have liked to be able to accommodate Will Jacks, but with Harmer having an ironclad case for selection I wanted my batter who bowls spin not to be an off spinner. The alternative to Atkinson would have been Jamie Overton, but the latter has had his injury woes this season. Feel free to suggest your own alternatives, though bear in mind that a) I chose to exclude division two players and b) the presence of Sir Alastair not withstanding this exercise is mainly about 2023, so I want players who have done big things this season.

PHOTOGRAPHS