Tuesday 20 September 2016 16:09, UK
Three teams battle it out for the County Championship title from Tuesday, but who would be picked from Middlesex, Yorkshire and Somerset in a composite XI?
Well, wonder no more, as ahead of Middlesex's clash with Yorkshire (live on Sky Sports 1, from 10am on Tuesday) we tasked Rob Key and Nick Night to pick a team from the three contenders.
Though they couldn't quite agree on an XI - with four differences of opinion - here's a look at the names they could (and couldn't) agree on...
MARCUS TRESCOTHICK (Somerset)
Key: "1,175 runs at 53. Some of the Somerset players have spoken about wanting to win it for him - I'd want to win it for the money! But I wouldn't be too worried about Tres, he does all right!"
Knight: "He's a given. He has got four championship hundreds this year and is playing as well as he's ever played in the middle part of the season. He's an absolute banker."
NICK GUBBINS (Middlesex)
Key: "He has had a good year and wouldn't have been that far away from sneaking into one of the Test spots. Haseeb Hameed is the one that has got in, but it could have been Keaton Jennings or Gubbins who has 1,191 runs at an average of 56."
Knight: "I'd pick Adam Lyth to open in my side as I think he's still got another chance for England at some stage down the line, but I've got a lot of openers, I have to confess, and we have both picked Gubbins, so I don't mind bunking him up one."
SAM ROBSON (Middlesex)
Key: "Another opener! He had a good start to the season, he smashed it early on and has dropped off a little bit of late but I still think he's a good player."
Knight: "The irony is that last year openers weren't getting the runs in county cricket and this year, lots of them are. Robson is averaging somewhere near 50."
CHRIS ROGERS (Somerset) / ADAM LYTH (Yorkshire)
Key: "Rogers has not had a great year but I don't care - he is a great player. In a big game he'll score runs and could well come good in the final game to deliver Somerset's first ever County Championship. He's my No 4."
Knight: "A first pick we haven't both gone for. As I say, I'd have gone for Lyth as opener and bunked everyone else down one spot. He's had a go at international cricket and didn't do as well as he'd have liked in that Ashes series, but he is still a damn good player. He's also got four championship hundreds this year."
DAWID MALAN (Middlesex) / PETER TREGO (Somerset)
Key: "I struggled with the middle order. Interestingly there are not many guys banging the door down to be included, so I've gone for Dawid Malan. I think he's a good player and he's had a decent enough year with 830 runs at 40."
Knight: "My No 5 is not an opening batsman! I've got for the tattooed tonker from Taunton. His numbers are very good this year: with the bat he averages just under 50 and, of course, he just gives you a little bit of an option with the ball."
TIM BRESNAN (Yorkshire)
Key: "Even if you take away his bowling, I think his batting has gone through the roof. We saw him in the one-dayers batting at six and I thought he looked as good a batsman at No 6 as anyone. Now that his international career is probably done, I think he's focusing on his batting and he's a very good county player.
Knight: "I'm with Keysey. He's a terrific county player and is a key member of that Yorkshire team. He's in my side."
JOHN SIMPSON (Middlesex)
Key: "You've got Andrew Hodd - who stands in for Jonny Bairstow - at Yorkshire, and Somerset's Ryan Davies as the alternatives. As good a lad as Hoddy is, I think Simpson comes in as keeper."
Knight: "I've also gone with Simpson as my wicketkeeper. He is a very good player and his numbers for the season are very reasonable, 733 runs at 46. He's a good one-day player too."
ADIL RASHID (Yorkshire) / OLLIE RAYNER (Middlesex)
Key: "I picked Adil Rashid as my spinning all-rounder only for him to be ruled out. Yorkshire will miss him badly because I think he's a very, very good bowler. He's an attacking spinner and I'd love to have a leggie in there."
Knight: "Rayner has had an excellent year. 50 championship wickets and he can bat a bit. I agree with England's decision not to take him to Bangladesh but I would be surprised if he is not part of some sort of squad in the winter, a performance squad just to have a further look at him. As an off-spinner, he is getting a little bit better each year."
JACK BROOKS (Yorkshire)
Key: "Perhaps not the quickest, but I'm going to look to get pace from one of my other bowlers. He is a quality bowler and a wicket-taker."
Knight: "He has a terrific return of 53 championship wickets at an average of 26 on the year."
JACK LEACH (Somerset)
Key: "I did consider Steven Finn instead of having another spinner, but I'll go for Leach. You never learn that much about a spinner until you see them on a turning wicket when you look to them and ask them to win you the game - can he do that for Somerset this week?"
Knight: "I've also gone for another spinner and picked Leach. He has got 58 championship wickets at 23 and was unlucky to miss out on the England squad for Bangladesh."
LIAM PLUNKETT (Yorkshire) / STEVEN FINN (Middlesex)
Key: "Plunkett is going to provide that much-needed bit of pace in the attack. I'd use him in aggressive, attacking spells."
Knight: "Similarly, I want a bit of pace in the team, but I've plumped for Finny, who although is away a lot with England, still plays a fair bit in the championship, with seven appearances and 27 wickets to his name this year."
Watch the thrilling conclusion of the County Championship season with Middlesex, Yorkshire and Somerset fighting it out for the title, live on Sky Sports - coverage of the Middlesex v Yorkshire clash starts on Sky Sports 1 from 10am on Tuesday.
