After another memorable final-day finish in 2011, the County Championship makes a welcome return next month with Lancashire aiming to retain the title for only the third time in their history.
Glen Chapple’s men will look to draw on the experience of a successful 2011 campaign, with the retiring Mark Chilton the only significant absentee from their title-winning squad. The return of former South Africa captain Ashwell Prince, meanwhile, should further strengthen a batting line-up that is already brimming with home-grown talent; Karl Brown and Steven Croft managed a combined total of 1,839 runs last term, and will no doubt be fancied to pass the 1,000 run mark individually this season.
Whether the holders have enough depth to their squad to do it again this time around is questionable, but they have an astute captain-coach pairing in Chapple and Peter Moores, and it is unlikely that teams will fancy a trip to Aigburth (necessitated by the continuing redevelopment of Old Trafford), where Lancashire won three times in five fixtures last year. The ability to force results on a lively Liverpool track will be crucial once more, particularly as victories at Old Trafford prove increasingly difficult to come by.
After having the championship snatched from their grasp on the final day of the season, Warwickshire will be hungry to make amends this time, and will no doubt be among the title contenders again come September. The form of Varun Chopra and Lee Westwood should atone for the loss of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but with the notable exception of Chris Woakes, it is hard to see where the wickets are going to come from.
Bookies’ favourites Durham, meanwhile, appear well balanced in all three departments. The batting line-up is a fine blend of youth and experience, with Paul Collingwood and Michael Di Venuto featuring alongside the likes of Ben Stokes and Mark Stoneman, while their variety of bowling options should prove a handful irrespective of the conditions. Much may depend on the form and fitness of Graham Onions, who should be surplus to England’s requirements this summer when considering their current embarrassment of riches in the seam-bowling department.
Aside from the usual suspects, the greatest threat to Lancashire’s throne may come from newly promoted Surrey. Rory Hamilton-Brown’s team were impressive in the second division last year and have a made a number of astute acquisitions during the close season, not least Jacques Rudolph, a prolific run-getter during his time at Yorkshire, nor Murali Karthik, the unorthodox right-arm spinner from Somerset. With a talented young batting line-up including the likes of Steven Davies and Tom Maynard, along with the mercurial Zander de Bruyn, this Surrey team has real championship-winning potential.
In Division Two, it is difficult to see beyond the relegated sides when considering the likely title contenders. Yorkshire have maintained the nucleus of a strong squad, and in Jonathan Bairstow and Joe Root, they boast two of the finest young batsmen in the country. Hampshire, meanwhile, have lost Dominic Cork, Michael Lumb and Neil McKenzie but the experience of captain Jimmy Adams and ex-England batsman Michael Carberry should prove enough to guide them back to the top flight. Expect both sides, along with perennial nearly-men Northamptonshire, to dominate the division this year.