Tuesday 28 July 2015 10:41, UK
The Royal London One-Day Cup, which starts on Saturday 25 July, signals the return of domestic 50-over cricket to the calendar.
England's impressive ODI series win over New Zealand earlier this summer showcased some new names who have starred on the county circuit in recent years. So who might be next in line with some decent displays in this year's 50-over format?
Sam Northeast
Long earmarked as a batsman of huge promise and potential, but one who has also flattered to deceive at times, in the shorter formats of the game in particular. Northeast has just two centuries in 54 one-day games for Kent, but his form in the T20 Blast this season suggests that could soon increase significantly. Northeast is the second-highest run-scorer in the competition with 627, at an average of 52.25 at a strike-rate of 154.05. Having only hit five half-centuries in his previous 41 innings, he hit four fifties and a century in his 13 bats this year, the crowning moment being his blow-for-blow battle with Chris Gayle in Kent’s clash against Somerset. Gayle hit an incredible 151 off 62 balls but Somerset still lost by three runs due to Northeast’s own impressive 114 off 58.
Varun Chopra
Chopra was the third-highest run-scorer in last season’s Royal London One-Day Cup, helping his Warwickshire side to the final at Lord’s. Chopra hit 471 runs across nine innings at an average of 67.28, including a 64 in the final – one of only two half-centuries in a low-scoring affair – as they ultimately lost to Durham. His ‘Birmingham’ team had more success in the 2014 T20 Blast – winning on Final’s Day – and Chopra helped them to the quarter-finals again this year, finishing top of the North Group table. He and Brendon McCullum built a formidable opening partnership, but with the New Zealand overseas star now having departed, a lot will depend on Chopra leading the way at the top of the order again.
Steven Croft
What a year Croft is having. The Lancashire vice-captain has done a tremendous job in leading the team after skipper Tom Smith went down with a back injury earlier in the season. He is the team’s top scorer in the T20 Blast, with 456 runs at an average of 57 and a strike rate of 134.91. also pitching in with 11 wickets at an average of 25.36 and a respectable economy rate of 7.15. Not only that but he has extended his record for most consecutive T20 appearances, having played in all of Lancashire’s 115 matches since June 27, 2006, and has led his team to the top of the County Championship Division Two table too. Expect his form to continue into the 50-over format.
Chris Woakes
This time last year, Woakes was playing Test cricket for England. And earlier this year he was playing in a (admittedly disastrous) World Cup. Woakes was arguably one of England’s better performers in that tournament but has been out of action since with a knee injury that required surgery. In that time the likes of Mark Wood, David Willey, Steven Finn and Liam Plunkett have all leapfrogged him in the England ODI pecking order and Woakes needs some successful showings for Warwickshire to put his name back in the mix. He has played only two first-class matches since his return from injury but has hardly looked rusty, taking eight wickets at an average of 21.13.
David Payne
You can’t have a ‘ones to watch’ article about one-day cricket without including a left-armer option. It has almost become the key position in the 50-over game, with the devastating impact they can have nowhere more evident than in the 2015 Cricket World Cup when Australia’s Mitchell Starc and New Zealand’s Trent Boult were the leading wicket-takers. Gloucestershire’s Payne was the standout performer in last year’s Royal London One-Day Cup, as the leading seamer in the competition – along with Yasir Arafat – with 17 wickets. Payne’s came across eight matches at an average of 16.41.
Usman Arshad
A slightly more left-field selection, this. Although anyone who had the foresight to pick him up for a bargain price in their Fantasy T20 Blast team this season, may not think so. The 22-year-old Arshad has only one 50-over appearance (bowling three wicketless overs) to his name but has starred in this season’s T20 Blast, taking 22 wickets in his 13 matches, tied for joint-second in the competition. Durham won the Royal London One-Day Cup last year boasting an impressive stable of seamers in Chris Rushworth, John Hastings, Graeme Onions, and even Paul Collingwood. Arshad only adds to their strength in that department as they look for back-to-back titles.
You can watch the Royal London One-Day Cup on Sky Sports Ashes HD, starting with Northamptonshire versus Durham from 10.30am on Saturday 25th July.