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One Day Cup preview: Group B

23 July 2024

ESSEX

Preview by Martin Smith – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Tom Westley

Overseas player: None

2023 finish: Ninth (Group A)

2023 leading run-scorer: Beau Webster (256)

2023 leading wicket-taker: Beau Webster (14)

Key player: As the grandaddy in a team of comparative fledglings, captain Tom Westley will be expected to lead from the front and reprise his 2022 batting efforts when he hit two centuries at an average just below 50. His underused and undervalued off-breaks might also come in handy.

Keep an eye on: A big future is forecast for Charlie Allison. He got his eye in for the 50-over format with 87 for England U19 against Sri Lanka earlier this month. With two fifties, and a best of 85, he was only three runs off being the top Essex run-scorer in last season’s competition.

Final thought: Essex’s record in the one-day cup has been disappointing, to say the least – just one win last year. But the 2023 intake – Charlie Allison, Luc Benkenstein and Noah Thain – have all subsequently gained first-team experience and should spark an upturn in the team’s fortunes.

GLAMORGAN

Preview by Peter Miller - ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Kiran Carlson

Overseas player: Colin Ingram (South Africa)

2023 finish: Fourth (Group B) 

2023 leading run scorer: Eddie Byrom (352)

2023 leading wicket taker: Ben Kellaway (13)

Key player: In the absence of Chris Cooke, and with no second overseas player signed up for this competition so far, there is a lot of pressure on Colin Ingram to perform for Glamorgan in 50 over cricket. His nine List A hundreds for Glamorgan puts him third on the all-time list for the county, him hitting double digits hundreds for this team would be a big boost. 

Keep an eye on: Ben Kellaway had a very good season for Glamorgan in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup last year to finish as top wicket taker. His opportunities with the ball have been limited to two overs in his six matches in the Vitality Blast, but expect him to take a more significant role in the 50-over format again.

Final thought: Going into the Vitality Blast the worry was that Glamorgan’s bowling would be the weak spot, but their attack has kept them in games at times this year. Where they have struggled is with consistency with the bat, the Metro Bank One-Day Cup is a chance for a white-ball batting reset as they look to claim the trophy they won in 2021. 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Preview by Richard Latham - ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Jack Taylor

Overseas players: Cameron Bancroft (Australia), Zafar Gohar (Pakistan)

2023 finish: Semi-finalists

2023 leading run scorer: Ollie Price (575)

2023 leading wicket taker: Paul van Meekeren (17)

Key player: James Bracey hit an unbeaten double century against Somerset in last season’s competition and has been in good form with the bat and the wicketkeeping gloves this summer. He is looking much more like the player who played Test cricket for England in 2021.

Keep an eye on: With only five first-class games under his belt, Ed Middleton is at the stage of his career when the Metro Bank One-Day Cup could greatly advance his development and the 23-year-old Devonian leg-spinner will be hoping for plenty of opportunities in the group games.

Final thought: Gloucestershire won six of their eight Group B matches last season and thrashed Lancashire in the quarter-finals, winning by eight wickets with 25.1 overs to spare. They also boasted a 198-run annihilation of arch-rivals Somerset at Bristol and, with less players than most involved in The Hundred, will again fancy their chances against anyone on home soil.

LEICESTERSHIRE

Preview by Jon Culley – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Lewis Hill

Overseas players: Ajinkya Rahane (India), Peter Handscomb (Australia)

2023 finish: Champions

2023 leading run scorer: Peter Handscomb (401)

2023 leading wicket taker: Chris Wright (18)

Key player: Former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane has joined up with the Foxes squad and is available for the entire competition. With three hundreds and 24 fifties in 90 ODIs on his record, he can make a big impact alongside experienced Aussie Peter Handscomb.

Keep an eye on: Sam Wood, a 6ft 4ins 19-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder, bowled with promise in his two appearances in the Vitality Blast and, with Josh Hull and Scott Currie signed up for The Hundred, will hope for more opportunities to impress in this competition.

Final thought: Defending their 2023 crown will not be easy, not least with rising stars Hull and Rishi Patel and the big-hitting Louis Kimber joining Rehan Ahmed among five players picked up by The Hundred, but a decent squad remains and with Rahane’s addition they have the potential to be contenders again.
 

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Preview by Jon Culley – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Haseeb Hameed

Overseas players: None

2023 finish: Fifth (Group A)

2023 leading run scorer: Matt Montgomery (286)

2023 leading wicket takers: Brett Hutton, Dane Paterson (11)

Key player: Opening bat Ben Slater had a modest 2023 season by his own standards, but still boasts a remarkable List A career average of 52.18. A return to the form that has earned him six hundreds and 17 fifties in this format could be key to a stronger showing by Nottinghamshire.

Keep an eye on: Sam King, a 21-year-old batter who impressed on his two Metro Bank One-Day Cup appearances last season, and marked his T20 debut last week with 44 off 25 balls as Nottinghamshire ended a dismal Vitality Blast campaign with a win at Yorkshire.  An extended run in the 50-over format should be on the cards.

Final thought: After an uncharacteristically poor Vitality Blast, Nottinghamshire have something to prove in this competition. Joint leading wicket-taker Dane Paterson is headed for the West Indies with South Africa, which leaves them with no overseas player, but there is still enough experience and potential in the squad to make an impact.
 

SUSSEX

Preview by Bruce Talbot – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: John Simpson

Overseas players: None

2023 finish: Ninth (Group B)

2023 leading run scorer: Cheteshwar Pujara (384)

2023 leading wicket taker: Jack Carson (12)

Key player: Danny Lamb was a good one-day player with previous county Lancashire, and the talented all-rounder has proved his worth for Sussex already in the Vitality Blast. His middle-order experience, variations of pace with the ball and ability to score quickly will be crucial. 

Keep an eye on: Coach Paul Farbrace confirmed that he will be giving youngsters an opportunity which means Henry Rogers, Zach Lion-Cachet and Bertie Foreman, who all made their debuts in this format in 2023, and Archie Lenham can expect further opportunities.

Final thought: With Ollie Robinson, James Coles, Tom Alsop and Tymal Mills at The Hundred and no overseas players Sussex will rely on a mixture of youth and experience to improve on a record of one win in 2023, while their travelling supporters will have the pleasure of experiencing York, Welbeck and Neath for the first time.

SURREY

Preview by Mark Baldwin – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Rory Burns

Overseas players: None

2023 finish: Eighth (Group A)

2023 leading run-scorer: Ryan Patel (330)

2023 leading wicket-taker: Cameron Steel (10)

Key player: Dom Sibley – the 22-times capped former England Test opener won white-ball selection in Surrey’s Vitality Blast campaign this summer in an ongoing bid to show he is something more than just a proven and talented run-accumulator in first-class cricket. A highly-experienced 28-year-old, he can bring authority to Surrey’s top order as well as the natural power that comes from his imposing build, and will be looking to make a statement of white-ball intent in this year’s 50-over competition. 

Young Player to watch: Ollie Sykes – the 19-year-old was named as Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year in 2023 and made his senior Surrey debut during the Vitality Blast group stages. The exciting left-hander, who also bowls spin, has been a member of Surrey’s age group pathway and academy since the age of seven.

Final thought: As in recent seasons, Surrey will have to contest the Metro Bank One-Day Cup without a phalanx of players contracted to appear in The Hundred. This time they are missing 15, one more than in 2023, plus Australians Sean Abbott and Spencer Johnson, who represented the club as overseas players earlier in the summer. Surrey’s philosophy, however, is that gives huge opportunity to many of their emerging younger cricketers as well a chance for the likes of Sibley, Patel, Steel, Ben Geddes, James Taylor and others to shine.

WARWICKSHIRE

Preview by Brian Halford – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Ed Barnard

Overseas players: none

 2023 finish: Semi-finalist

 2023 leading run scorer: Ed Barnard (616)

 2023 leading wicket taker: Olly Hannon-Dalby (24)

Key player: Ed Barnard has fully fulfilled his aspiration, on joining Warwickshire from Worcestershire, to take his game to the next level. With bat and ball and as vice-captain the 28-year-old has become central to the Bears’ planning and will lead the 50-over side.

Keep an eye on: Hamza Shaikh. Although only just turned 18, Shaikh, who recently captained England Under 19s in the Youth Test series against Sri Lanka, shows a maturity on and off the pitch which suggests that his abundant natural talent as a batter is ready to fly in first-team cricket.

Final thought: The 50-over competition comes at an interesting time for Warwickshire and how they fare will heavily shape the fans’ view of how things are going at Edgbaston. It’s been a polarised season - formidable in the Vitality Blast but without a County Championship win. Where on that spectrum will their 50-over cricket sit?  

YORKSHIRE

Preview by Graham Hardcastle – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Shan Masood  

Overseas players: Shan Masood (Pakistan)

2023 finish: Sixth (Group A)

2023 leading run scorer: Shan Masood (217)

2023 leading wicket taker: Matthew Revis (10)

Key player: Young leg-spinner Jafer Chohan took five and four wickets in successive Vitality Blast games recently. The 22-year-old is yet to make his 50-over debut, having been with Southern Brave in last year’s The Hundred, and has been inspired to chase his England dream by seeing the emergence of Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed on the international stage.

Keep an eye on: Eighteen-year-old top order batter Noah Kelly started the summer on Yorkshire’s Academy but signed his maiden rookie professional contract earlier this month. A left-hander the county are very excited about, he has scored heavy runs for the Academy and second team. Could get his first-team chance in the coming weeks. 

Final thought: Captain Shan Masood’s unavailability for any potential quarter and semi-final because of Test match commitments would be an inconvenience, but Yorkshire look well stocked with young and exciting batters. Will Luxton, for example, scored a century for the County Select XI against the touring West Indians at the start of the month.

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