PCA Fans' Player of the Month: April contenders announced

Nottinghamshire's Jake Ball, Gloucestershire's Ryan Higgins, Matt Henry of Kent and Lancashire's Tom Bailey have been shortlisted for the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Month Award for April.

The quartet earned most points in the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings across all formats during the month and fans will now have the chance to decide the winner by voting on an online poll.

Votes can be cast on the PCA website and Sky Sports app and website with voting closing at 7pm on Wednesday, May 2.

The PCA MVP Rankings system was designed by the players to identify the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic and international season - an innovation which provides a more rigorous analysis of player performances than traditional batting and bowling averages.

The formula gives full credit to those players whose performances improve their team's chances of winning. Points are accrued for all runs scored and wickets taken, these are then adjusted within the context of the match to take into account strike rates and economy rates.

The player who tops the overall PCA County MVP Rankings at the end of the season receives a £10,000 reward.

JAKE BALL

Ball is nominated after helping Nottinghamshire to the top of the Specsavers County Championship Division One's table with a second-innings five-wicket haul against Worcestershire. In the process, the England paceman climbed to the top of the overall MVP Rankings with 109 points, despite not being named Man of the Match so far this season.

After a difficult winter, Ball has started the season in the best possible manner, taking nine wickets in their season-opening win against Lancashire before backing that up with five dismissals and an impressive 74 runs against Yorkshire.

The consistent 27-year-old now has 21 wickets in April after his seven scalps against Worcestershire.

RYAN HIGGINS

Just four points behind Ball, Higgins is currently in second position of the MVP race, having started his career at Gloucestershire with a flourish after his winter move from Middlesex.

The all-rounder had a County Championship debut to remember for his new club, taking a maiden five-wicket haul in the second innings against Kent to help his side to a five-wicket victory and claiming the MVP man-of-the-match award in the process.

The 23-year-old then impressed with the bat against Glamorgan with two half centuries in vain before Gloucestershire bounced back at Hove with another man-of-the-match performance from their new signing. Another career best with the ball saw Higgins take 5-21 from his 10 overs in the first innings against Sussex and he followed it up with three further dismissals in the second.

MATT HENRY

Kent's overseas seam bowler Matt Henry is also shortlisted despite playing only two County Championship games due to their tour game against Pakistan.

The New Zealand international has been in sparkling form for the Division Two outfit, taking seven wickets in the first game of the season against Gloucestershire at Canterbury, a performance that could not stop Higgins and Gloucestershire taking the victory.

However, Henry was not to be outdone in Durham, with the 26-year-old removing five batsmen in the first innings before taking a career-best haul of 7-45 in the second to end April with 90 points and give Kent their first victory of the season.

TOM BAILEY

Lancashire opening bowler Bailey had a strong finish to the opening month of the season, a timely reminder of his ability with England's record wicket-taker James Anderson set to return for the Red Rose county on Friday.

After taking eight wickets in his opening two fixtures of the season, Bailey excelled against Surrey in the drawn game at Emirates Old Trafford. The 27-year-old doubled his wicket tally for the season with eight victims, removing each of the top six batsmen across both innings, beneficial to his MVP ranking.

Bowlers gain more ranking points if they take wickets of top-order batsmen and similarly, runs gain more points if they are scored quickly or in low-scoring contests.

Votes can be cast on the PCA website and Sky Sports app and website with voting closing at 7pm on Wednesday, May 2.