Royal London One-Day Cup: Rob Key picks his contenders for title
Ex-Kent batsman picks his former county, but who else?
Sunday 5 June 2016 17:43, UK
We've tasked Rob Key to come up with four semi-finalists for the Royal London One-Day Cup, ahead of the competition's return on Sunday...
The Royal London One-Day Cup is set to be more competitive than ever this year.
Live Royal London One-Day Cup Cricket
In the past the competition has often become a little bit of an afterthought due to being played at the back-end of the season.
If teams had something to play for still in the County Championship, then they couldn't afford to push too hard in the the cup. But now it has a slot right in the middle of the summer, while the T20 Blast is going on.
Holders Gloucestershire will be there or thereabouts, especially if Michael Klinger fires with the bat again. A bit of an unfancied team as always, but never write them off, while Warwickshire, led by Ian Bell - likely available all year - could challenge. But these are the teams I'm backing to make the semi-finals…
Surrey (South Group)
A dangerous side. Another year on from their run to the final last year, they're going to be even better, with a lot of their players back from injury. They punched above their weight last year, with a bowling attack that was very young and inexperienced - the Curran brothers, Zafar Ansari etc. Obviously Gareth Batty is at the other end of the age spectrum, but he leads them well.
The team also plays on a surface that is good for batting. The Oval is a tough place to go, with the likes of Jason Roy and Kumar Sangakkara in Surrey's line-up - although I'm not sure how much Roy will be around, as you'd expect him to be off with England for large parts. It's also tough for the home captain to manage his attack on that pitch, so Batty, with all the experience he has, is a massive bonus for Surrey. He leads by example with how passionate he is on the field, driving those youngsters forward.
Worcestershire (North Group)
They're smashing it in the Blast. A relatively inexperienced side over the last few years, that is now coming of age. I have been so impressed with them, winning three of three - two of which I've seen in person with Sky. They've been outstanding; good in the field and with bat and ball.
Brett D'Oliveira is a class act, so too Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ross Whiteley, while Moeen Ali might get the odd game when not with England. They're well led by Daryl Mitchell and New Road is another tough place to go and play. They have a bowling attack, in Joe Leach and Jack Shantry, who know exactly how to get the best out of the surface, plus a bit of pace provided by Chris Russell. They won only one game in the 2015 competition but they're a very handy side, and will be a tough proposition for any team.
Kent (South Group)
Another young team that is now delivering on its promise. Obviously I know the players pretty well - when I was there we spent three or four years backing the young talent, giving them time to first fail and then learn from it, in the hope they'd become established players. It was pretty clear that the success of these guys might not happen until my Kent career was over, and so it's proving. My body could no longer keep up with some of them!
Daniel Bell-Drummond - who has been relatively inconsistent the last two or three years - is now churning out runs. Sam Billings is arguably one of the most exciting cricketers in the country and will be around for a bit of the competition, in and out with England. Alex Blake might not be too well-known but he is one of the biggest hitters going. Darren Stevens, meanwhile, is like Peter Pan, he never gets old. They have a very good spinner in James Tredwell, and expert death bowlers in Mitchell Claydon and David Griffiths, plus Matt Coles. They have every base covered and are one of the sides to beat in this competition as well as the Blast.
Essex (South Group)
Another team that has had a few up and down years, but they've started 2016 brilliantly under new coach, Chris Silverwood. Ryan ten Doeschate has skippered them to the top of Division Two in the County Championship, while Ravi Bopara takes over in white-ball cricket. They are two terrific senior players to have in the side - Bopara has a good cricket brain so I'm sure he will make a great one-day captain.
It's a very settled side, with some outstanding young batsmen - Tom Westley, Nick Brown, Dan Lawrence etc. There's Jesse Ryder, who always has an impact on the game as their overseas player, and Graham Napier, who bowls well at the death. They are perhaps a little light for bowlers though, especially having lost leading ther wicket-taker in the 2015 tournament, Reece Topley, to Hampshire, plus they seem to be missing a real quality spinner. Essex bat all the way down, however, so it might not matter.
Watch the Royal London One-Day Cup on Sky Sports, starting with Somerset versus Gloucestershire from 10.55am on Sunday on Sky Sports 2.
Live Royal London One-Day Cup Cricket
Live Royal London One-Day Cup Cricket
