Denying Durham

In the last of a three-part Championship special our experts ponder who can stop Will Smith's side.

Can anyone stop historic treble for Smith's squad?

Bigger, sharper, brighter - the message is clear: cricket has never been better on Sky Sports! skysports.com's experts will be here throughout the season to give you the low down on a what should be a cracking summer of coverage, featuring matches in High Definition. They'll have their work cut out, though, because as well as showing all of England's home Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches Sky Sports will broadcast at least 69 county cricket fixtures live - our biggest summer yet! Throw in the World Twenty20, England's one-day international series against Australia and Pakistan's 'home' series against Australia and it should be a scorcher. But first things first! As a new English domestic season dawns, skysports.com caught up with Nasser Hussain, Bob Willis, David 'Bumble' Lloyd, Nick Knight and Paul Allott to get their thoughts on the season ahead. In the last of our three-part Championship special, we asked them for their first division predictions...

Dynamic defence

skysports.com: Yorkshire were the last side to win three Championship titles back-to-back, in 1968. Is there any reason why Durham can't add to their successes of 2008 and 2009? Bumble: Durham are nailed-on winners. They are absolutely nailed on. Do yourself a favour and make some money by backing them. Their attack should win them plenty of games plus they've got a good captain in Will Smith and a fantastic coach in Geoff Cook! He's got them very well-organised and the addition of Ian Blackwell last year was a great all-round signing. I think they've just got too much for everybody! Bob: I agree with Bumble. It's difficult to put a case for anyone but Durham simply because of the strength of their squad in seam bowling. Steve Harmison, Callum Thorp, Liam Plunkett - I could go on. It's an embarrassment of riches! Hampshire have worked hard to improve their squad yet they may still be a little light in seam bowling as the Rose Bowl pitch is a bit flatter these days. Nick: I've fancied Notts over the last couple of years as an alternative to Durham but I'm not sure I'm going to go with them again this season. If Ryan Sidebottom can resolve his fitness issues he will push for an England spot but might have to stay on the fringes. That could work in Mick Newell's favour given Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann will be missing for much of the summer. Hashim Amla and David Hussey should weigh in with plenty of runs but Mark Ealham's retirement leaves a big hole. He filled up a lot of overs with his experience and nous and added solidity to the middle order as well. Nasser: For me it's as much about the players each county has lost as much as the players they have. As Nick says, Notts will be without Swann and Broad for most competitions whereas Durham's squad is going to be there nearly all of the time and is crammed full of fantastic players. They've also got a pitch that can do something - it nibbles around early-season and also turns a little bit so you can get results at the Riverside. Liam Plunkett has slipped below Tim Bresnan a little bit in the England pecking order so he could be around more and Michael Di Venuto heads what once again looks like a strong batting line-up. Paul: It is possible to put a case for another side other than Durham because they will be affected by Test calls and, like any team, who knows what injuries they might sustain. But after seeing how they've started the season in Abu Dhabi against the MCC I honestly can't see anybody challenging them.

Likely lads

skysports.com: The destiny of the title sounds a done deal! Which team might step in, though, if things don't go to plan for Durham? Nasser: Notts look in good shape to me and in Hashim Amla they've got a very fine player - for the first part of the season at least! In the time he's around I'm sure he'll have a massive impact because he's got to be one of the form players of world cricket of the last two or three years. Amla's also the right type of guy to have around. I think he'll work hard with the younger players and churn out big runs - watch out for those double hundreds. I also like Kent; they are well led by Rob Key (pictured, above with Amjad Khan) and with the likes of Martin van Jaarsveld and Geraint Jones in their ranks have a strong, deep batting line-up. If Yorkshire can keep the politics of the place, they are more than capable of getting results at home. Bumble: Nasser's right. Kent could definitely have a dash because they should never have gone down in the first place! Paul Farbrace has got them set up well and I'm sure they'll be competitive and eager to prove the doubters wrong. Yorkshire have plenty to prove after giving the captaincy to Andrew Gale. I'm not inside that club but from the outside it always seems that politics hold them back. Everybody's having their two penneth. I hope people just let Martin Moxon get on with it. Gale's a good player and it all comes down to what sort of response he gets from the players around him. I've always had an affection for Yorkshire and want them to do well. Bob: Hampshire and Lancashire join Durham in my top three, although it remains to be seen how the injury to Dimitri Mascarenhas will affect the Rose Bowl outfit. Ajantha Mendis has gone slightly gone off the boil - sides seem to be a little bit more used to him now - but having lost Imran Tahir to Warwickshire they do need a top-class spinner. Of all the counties I think they've got the best young cricketers - their U19 representatives are probably the best and strongest - so I hope they make their presence felt. Liam Dawson is an interesting cricketer and Kabir Ali is a very capable county seamer who will probably be more reliable than Chris Tremlett. One hopes Simon Jones has better luck at Hampshire than he did at Worcestershire. It's a gamble and I'm glad Hampshire have taken it but I'm not sure we are going to see the 2005 version ever again. If he does go on the park he is a lethal weapon. Nick: Somerset have the best batting wicket in the country so, by definition, they are going to find it the hardest to get positive results. I can't see them winning the Championship on that surface unless Murali Kartik has a sensational season but they are unquestionably all the better for having Marcus Trescothick fit, firing and focused in his new role. He brings plenty of skill and experience to proceedings and I wouldn't be surprised to see them pushing hard to improve on last season's third-placed finish despite the departure of Justin Langer.