The battle for places in the new North v South 50 overs series which will be played in the United Arab Emirates next March will resume on Sunday July 24 with the return of the Royal London One Day Cup.
The top four England-qualified players from each region in this season’s Royal London One-Day Cup PCA MVP Rankings plus the leading spinner will be selected to play in the North v South matches, with the remaining players chosen by the England selectors who will be thinking about the strategic needs of the England team in the build-up to the next World Cup.
The group stage of the Royal London One Day Cup reached its half-way point last month but there are still four rounds of group matches, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the showpiece final at Lord’s on September 17 remaining for players to improve their PCA MVP ranking and secure selection for the North v South series. The three North v South matches will give players an opportunity to press their claims for selection for the 2019 World Cup in England.
At the midway point of the season players from the South group dominate the rankings with 11 who are England-qualified in the top 20. Although the North have only six England-qualified players in the top 20, four of them currently occupy places in the top six.
Nottinghamshire batsman Michael Lumb and left arm seamer Harry Gurney, Yorkshire opener Adam Lyth – all of whom have already played international cricket for England – and Northamptonshire slow left-armer Graeme White are leading the way in the North Group.
Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson, who made his international T20 debut for England against Sri Lanka recently, Kent’s former England off-spinner James Tredwell and Middlesex seamer Toby Roland-Jones, who was included in England’s squad for last week’s first Test against Pakistan, and Gloucestershire all-rounder Benny Howell are all in pole position to fill the four places in the South team.
With three spinners already occupying places that would ensure selection for the North v South series there are openings for other spinners further down the rankings. Durham off-spinner Ryan Pringle is the highest-ranked spinner in the North behind White and Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane, the best-placed in the South after Dawson and Tredwell.
Lumb is second in the Royal London One Day Cup PCA MVP on 85 points, four behind Glamorgan’s South Africa all-rounder Colin Ingram, who is the early season pacesetter, and four ahead of third-placed Dawson.
Howell was the highest-ranked England-qualified player in last season’s Royal London One Day Cup PCA MVP with only his Gloucestershire team-mate, Australian batsman Michael Klinger, ahead of him.
The PCA and the England and Wales Cricket Board’s High Performance Centre at Loughborough have worked closely to enhance the PCA MVP formula which was first introduced in 2007.
The PCA MVP Rankings identifies the match-winners and key influencers of matches by using a formula that measures each player’s total contribution by taking into account conditions, quality of opposition, captaincy, strike rates as well as runs scored and wickets taken.
The full Royal London One Day Cup PCA MVP Rankings can be viewed here.
Tickets – Warwickshire v Worcestershire Rapids
Warwickshire face local rivals Worcestershire Rapids at Edgbaston on Sunday 24 July, starting at 11am.
Adult tickets are priced at £15 and completely FREE for Under 16s with a paying adult. Click here to purchase.
