**Official** County Cricket 2018

[vcs]

Kohli/Pujara/Ishant have a decent chance to acclimatize and India can potentially call up Aaron if there's an injury crisis. Hopefully the team won't arrive one week before the first Test like in SA too. We have to do well in England this time.

 

[Gnske]

Hilton Cartwright signs for Middlesex. Quite a few Australians playing in England in the Winter : Hilton Cartwright signs on with Middlesex - ESPNcricinfo

So to sum up for Overseas players

DIVISION 1
Lancashire : Joe Mennie
Yorkshire : Kane Williamson/Cheteshwar Pujara
Notts : Ross Taylor
Worcs : Travis Head/Martin Guptill
Essex : Peter Siddle/Neil Wagner
Surrey : Mitchell Marsh/Virat Kohli
Hampshire : Hashim Amla/Dale Steyn
Somerset :

DIVISION 2
Durham : Aiden Markram/Tom Latham
Warwickshire : Jeetan Patel
Derbyshire : Duanne Olivier
Leicestershire : Varun Aaron/Mohammed Abbas
Northants : Doug Bracewell/Rory Kleinveldt
Glamorgan : Shaun Marsh
Gloucestershire : Daniel Worrall
Middlesex : Hilton Cartwright
Kent : Matt Henry
Sussex : Ishant Sharma

Just for the Blast :
Essex : Adam Zampa
Gloucestershire : Andrew Tye
Kent : Marcus Stoinis/Adam Milne
Leicestershire : Mohammed Nabi
Middlesex : Ashton Agar
Northants : Seekkuge Prasanna
Notts : Dan Christian/Ish Sodhi
Somerset : Corey Anderson
Surrey : Aaron Finch
Sussex : Rashid Khan
Warwickshire : Colin de Grandhomme
Yorkshire : Billy Stanlake
Lancashire : James Faulkner
Worcestershire : Callum Ferguson

When was the last time the County system was this infested with Australians?

 

[morgieb]

When was the last time the County system was this infested with Australians?

Literally every year up until about the late 2000's IIRC.

 

[S.Kennedy]

A lot more second rate Shield players these days than the days you could see Ponting and the Husseys.

 

[S.Kennedy]

There'll certainly be some star power on show in the matches between Hants, Surrey and Yorkshire. I'm not sure if these timings are right but there might be a possibility of Steyn bowling to a Kohli or a Kane Williamson!

 

[SeamUp]

Schedule given for England players for start of CC

https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/655868/e...100000207230166+&utm_campaign=County Champ 18

 

[SeamUp]

Counties meeting this week aboit cutting red ball losses

Counties hope to cut red-ball losses

 

[S.Kennedy]

Schedule given for England players for start of CC

https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/655868/e...100000207230166+&utm_campaign=County Champ 18

Sounds good,

Alastair Cook will be available for Essex from their game at Hampshire on April 27, setting up a potential head-to-head with Root and Bairstow in Chelmsford.

 

[S.Kennedy]

No cricket until the championship starts in earnest now.

 

[SeamUp]

Mitch Marsh out for the first half of English summer at least as he has to go for ankle surgery. Hoping for 2nd half.

Alec Stewart says process for replacemt has already started.

 

[Starfighter]

That's a big shame. Would have given him a great chance to sort his technique out for once and for all.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I'll go,

Lancashire
Surrey
Essex
Hampshire
Notts
Yorkshire
Somerset
Worcs

Middlesex
Sussex
Northants
Warwickshire
Durham
Kent
Derbybshire
Leics
Glam
Gloucs

Bell and Trott are carrying Warwickshire.

 

[SeamUp]

Can Leicestershire be the shock team in Div 2 with Nixon in charge ?

Carberry, Ackermann , Cosgrove with the bat and Chappell & Aaron/Abbas with the ball ?

 

[S.Kennedy]

Hmm, I thought I was being bold sticking Glamorgan and Gloucs below them. Nixon might turn them into a decent Twenty20 side like his Caribbean sides.

I just cannot see Warwickshire yo-yoing back up. I wouldn't be surprised if Durham are ahead of them. Middlesex and Gillespie's Sussex for me.

Durham have to give these new seamers another two-three years I feel.

 

[ImpatientLime]

jimmy franklins days in the first team at middlesex might be limited with cartwright signing on.

shame, franklin is a legend for boiling so many northerners piss in 2016 when middlesex won the title on the last day of the season with that beautiful win over yorkshire.

 

[SeamUp]

Hmm, I thought I was being bold sticking Glamorgan and Gloucs below them. Nixon might turn them into a decent Twenty20 side like his Caribbean sides.

I just cannot see Warwickshire yo-yoing back up. I wouldn't be surprised if Durham are ahead of them. Middlesex and Gillespie's Sussex for me.

Durham have to give these new seamers another two-three years I feel.

Got to make Middlesex and Sussex favs. They have the best bowling attacks. Saying that Sussex will be without Archer and Jordan who are at the IPL.

Warwickshire will need more from Hain and getting Olly Stone back to his best could be crucial.

ImpatientLime

Middlesex team ?

Gubbins
Robson
Eskinazi
Cartwright
Malan/Morgan
Simpson
Franklin
TRJ/Harris
Finn
Helm
Murtagh

Holden, Fuller, Barber

 

[S.Kennedy]

Seemingly Somerset play a four-day friendly against Ireland starting tomorrow, covered by the Beeb (BBC Somerset),

Marcus Trescothick, Eddie Byrom, George Bartlett, James Hildreth, Tom Abell (c), Steve Davies, Lewis Gregory, Josh Davey, Dom Bess, Jamie Overton, Tim Groenewald, Paul van Meekeren and Ben Green.

William Porterfield (c), James Shannon, Andrew Balbirnie, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Simi Singh, Gary Wilson, Barry McCarthy, Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh, Peter Chase and Andy McBrine.

 

[ImpatientLime]

reckon stirling will get the nod over franklin.

then rayner (wrongly) over probably helm. patel should be invested in now over rayner but ollie will play due to his superior batting and slip catching.

morgan is injured and not getting near the team regardless. blokes returns in the 4 day game have been poor in recent years.

excited to see if barber can push through. not sure how long murtagh has long left and finns sub standard showings can only be put up with for so much longer.

 

[S.Kennedy]

He has been making the right noises about playing red-ball cricket this season, Morgan has.

 

[Pothas]

Who are we making favourite then? I am struggling to think of one to be honest.