2021 English First-Class Season Draft (June-October, seeking four players)

[Kippax]

Any takers for this?

The first match to count would be the first Test vs. New Zealand. I'm seeking a lighter tallying burden than the usual NZ first-class draft I help to run on here, so I'd limit it to 2-4 others and myself. We could always expand it if someone really doesn't mind the online spreadsheet work.

Not quite first in, first served: I'll give an initial preference to those who'd made three posts or more in the 2021 English season thread before the start of this month.

24-hour timeouts in the Super Six drafting stage (this will be your core team of six men), 12-hour timeouts for selecting your four reserves.

Test schedule (1.5x points):
vs. New Zealand (2 Tests)
vs. India (5 Tests)

County schedule (Division 1 = 1x points, Division 2 = 0.8x points, Division 3 = 0.6x points):
Group stage (2 matches, 1x points)
Division stage (4 matches)
Bob Willis Trophy (1 match)

England Lions (1x points):
First-class fixtures played before the end of September will count, but I note the planned tour by India 'A' has been postponed.

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Draft rules and bonus contests (if you followed the NZ drafts of the past, note the completely new 'Blunter's Bonus' I'll be giving a run in this):

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I'll have a go I guess, though Essex biased. Who would you be including under the "Red Baron Bonus"? Alastair Cook? Darren Stevens?

 

[Kippax]

Yes I don't really know about Kohli being a true 40-point wicket in these conditions.

It will be an August series though. I'll respect the ICC rankings' top 5, so it'll be Root, KW and him.

 

[Kippax]

 

[Kippax]

 

[JOJOXI]

I'm interested if there is space although I've not made posts in 2021 English season so understand I won't have preference.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

I'd be up for trying this.

 

[Kippax]

I'll respect the ICC rankings' top 5, so it'll be Root, KW and him.

Actually I forgot about Labuschagne's play for Glamorgan, so I'll respect the ICC rankings' top 4, not top 5. Root, KW and Labuschagne will be the draft's prized 40-pointers.

 

[Kippax]

Not sure about letting drafters get really crafty by putting an Indian or two in their team btw. I think I'll allow the county overseas pros to be picked, but not opposition Test players.

 

[Kippax]

Note: The four counties which could only have six matches in my June-October period (the rest are guaranteed to play seven, with a player's best seven points hauls counting):
Essex (a Bob Willis final would give them a seventh)
Surrey
Middlesex
Worcestershire

 

[Kippax]

24 hours left to join in. I'll be back with the drafting order just before the start.

I'm not sure about this, but Crawley may hit English fans as palpably better than their fourth-best cricketer born in 1998 or later, so that bonus category can now become the Uncapped Emerging Player (same age limit, no Curran, Pope or Crawley).

One more rule: A maximum of two overseas players in your core six, and none in your reserves.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I presume that means official overseas players - not quite sure how Snater isn't an overseas player (Siddle & Harmer are Essex's two).

 

[Kippax]

Yes just the official ones.

Derbyshire
Dustin Melton, Billy Stanlake, Ben McDermott (limited-overs)

Durham
Will Young (until Bancroft arrives in May), Cameron Bancroft, David Bedingham

Essex
Peter Siddle, Simon Harmer, Jimmy Neesham (T20 Blast)

Glamorgan
Andrew Balbirnie (until Labuschagne arrives in May), Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Colin Ingram

Gloucestershire
Dan Worrall, Kraigg Brathwaite (first eight CC games), Graeme van Buuren (South Africa), Glenn Phillips (T20 Blast)

Hampshire
Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Abbas (first two months of the season), Colin de Grandhomme (T20 Blast)

Kent
Heino Kuhn, Miguel Cummins (first eight CC games)

Lancashire
Dane Vilas, Shreyas Iyer (One-Day Cup), Jackson Bird (Six CC games from April 22), Finn Allen (T20 Blast)

Leicestershire
Naveen-ul-Haq (T20 Blast), Josh Inglis (T20 Blast), Marcus Harris

Middlesex
Mitchell Marsh (T20 Blast), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (T20 Blast), Peter Handscomb

Northamptonshire
Mohammad Nabi (T20 Blast), Wayne Parnell

Nottinghamshire
Dan Christian (T20 Blast), Dane Paterson

Somerset
Marchant de Lange, Devon Conway (June 23-July 18)

Surrey
Kemar Roach (first seven CC games), Hashim Amla, Sean Abbott (to replace Roach for three CC games and play entire group stage of T20 Blast)

Sussex
Stiaan van Zyl, Travis Head, Rashid Khan (T20 Blast), David Wiese (T20 Blast)

Warwickshire
Pieter Malan, Carlos Brathwaite (T20 Blast)

Worcestershire
Alzarri Joseph (first seven CC games), Sandeep Lamichhane (T20 Blast), Ben Dwarshuis (T20 Blast)

Yorkshire
Duanne Olivier, Lockie Ferguson (T20 Blast)

 

[Kippax]

I've introduced a fictitious fifth drafter called Braai Guys. He'll be pursuing players with a South African or Zim link to them pretty vigorously, without breaking this draft's rule on overseas players.

@JOJOXI
Kippax
Braai Guys
Red Ink Squid
Heef

Heef
Red Ink Squid
Braai Guys
Kippax
JOJOXI

 

[JOJOXI]

I think he's allowed although of course not eligible for Uncapped Emerging Player. If I can pick him I'll go with Joe Root please.

 

[JOJOXI]

@Kippax

 

[Kippax]

James Anderson.

 

[Kippax]

"Simon Harmer" - Braai Guys

@Red_Ink_Squid

 

[JOJOXI]

"Simon Harmer" - Braai Guys

@Red_Ink_Squid

There was me wondering who would pick Harmer - I should have guessed it would be Braai Guys!

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

I'm sorta rooting for Braai Guys here.

I'll go Ben Stokes.

@HeathDavisSpeed