The 2025 home season was put to mattress final weekend with the thrilling conclusion of the County Championship, as Nottinghamshire sealed the title – and Durham suffered a nightmare relegation.
In addition to Notts, Leicestershire, Somerset and Worcestershire claimed the season’s silverware, however who have been the gamers that stood out throughout the three codecs and what do these efforts imply for his or her quick futures?
Right here, Day by day Mail Sport picks our workforce of the 12 months – and divulges what lies on the horizon for the 11 males in query…
HASEEB HAMEED (Nottinghamshire)
At 28, there may be nonetheless time for Hameed to develop two flirtations with Take a look at cricket right into a full England profession, even when it seems unlikely beneath the present regime.
What has modified since Hameed first burst on to the worldwide scene as a teenage opening batsman is his spectrum of expertise. Having handled the adversity of being surplus to necessities at his boyhood membership Lancashire, his second coming at Trent Bridge has developed into one thing particular.
Sure, the prolific run-scoring has returned – 1,258 of them within the 2025 prime flight positioned him second behind Surrey’s Dom Sibley – however he has additionally captained with a statesmanlike presence. His calm on-field manner was a function of the gorgeous late-season win on the Oval that wrested the momentum within the title race away from Surrey. He’s set to signal a brand new cope with the membership.
After being deemed surplus to necessities at boyhood membership Lancashire, Haseeb Hameed’s second coming at Trent Bridge beneath coach Peter Moores (proper) has been particular
Emilio Homosexual moved to Durham a 12 months in the past to additional his ambitions of enjoying for England
EMILIO GAY (Durham)
Homosexual moved to the North East 12 months in the past to additional his worldwide ambitions and has finished so, having performed in a way that matches the Bazball mantra.
His 1,076 first-class runs in 2025 got here at a strike fee of 64 and the 25-year-old left-hander’s conversion fee of turning 4 of his six 50s into lots of has additionally impressed the nationwide selectors.
It means he’ll start this winter together with his goals of enjoying for England enhanced, as he’s a part of the second-string Lions squad shadowing the primary tour to Australia.
And in a unusual twist, he might finish it by enjoying in opposition to them for Italy in February’s Twenty20 World Cup. Homosexual’s mom is Italian and meaning he stays eligible to signify the European minnows – as he has 3 times this 12 months – till he wins a full England cap.
JAMES REW (Somerset)
The best way by which Rew led Somerset in one-day cricket this 12 months belied his 21 years.
He obtained his first full England call-up – changing the injured spare batsman Jordan Cox for the one-off Zimbabwe Take a look at at first of the summer time – and though he didn’t function, his choice was a sign of the place he stands as a back-up to each Jamie Smith as England’s Take a look at wicketkeeper and the established group of middle-order batsmen.
It coincided with him turning into the youngest Englishman (at 21 and 114 days) to attain 10 first-class lots of since Denis Compton in 1939. It was to his credit score that he maintained concentrate on his day job thereafter, breaking the 1,000-run barrier in Division One for the second time in three seasons, and Rew will head Down Underneath with England Lions, together with his youthful brother Tom as certainly one of his team-mates.
Somerset’s James Rew is a prime prospect and obtained his first England call-up in Might
Ben Kellaway of Glamorgan has the weird skill to bowl spin with each arms, however that’s removed from his solely present
BEN KELLAWAY (Glamorgan)
Not naturally ambidextrous, however capable of bowl spin with each arms, the 21-year-old claimed half-a-dozen of his 35 victims throughout all competitions for Glamorgan this previous season together with his left.
Nevertheless, such distinctive skill inside English home cricket is much from the Chepstow-raised all-rounder’s solely present.
Kellaway’s 813 runs at a median of 54.2 have been a bedrock of the Welsh county’s surge to promotion: a career-best 181 not out in opposition to Kent arrange the primary victory in a 10-match unbeaten run from Might that secured a top-two end. He additionally grew to become Glamorgan’s youngest-ever participant to hit 100 and take a five-wicket haul in a Championship match, in opposition to Gloucestershire.
These feats contributed to the upper recognition of an England Lions name on Tuesday.
SAIF ZAIB (Northamptonshire)
The County Championship’s main run-scorer is an enchanting expertise.
The 27-year-old was prolific with the bat this season within the four-day recreation, a lot in order that he was mentioned by England’s selectors with a view to going to Australia, however his multi-format skill with the ball means he additionally options on the wishlists of Worldwide League T20 sides forward of Wednesday’s public sale for the Center East event.
Weighing up which path to focus on shouldn’t be simple for both the England hierarchy or the participant, who has flourished a lot beneath ex-Australia coach Darren Lehmann that he upgraded his earlier greatest season’s productiveness with the bat by 247.5 per cent.
Along with his 1,425 Division Two runs, he chipped in with 13 wickets at 25 together with his gradual left-armers. Zaib additionally struck 302 Twenty20 runs and injected hope into Northants’ Blast semi-final in opposition to Hampshire with three for 18 on the finish of a career-changing summer time.
Saif Zaib, seen right here happening the assault in opposition to Leicestershire, was the County Championship’s most prolific batsman with 1,425 runs for Northants
Warwickshire’s Ed Barnard took dwelling £10,000 for profitable the PCA’s Most Priceless Participant of the 12 months award
ED BARNARD (Warwickshire)
Barnard, 29, deservedly gained the Skilled Cricketers’ Affiliation’s Most Priceless Participant of the 12 months award and its £10,000 money prize this weekend.
He’ll now hope that his efforts to extend his velocity of scoring – his strike fee for the Bears within the Blast was as much as 159 from 131 – reaps a primary abroad franchise placement over the winter at both the ILT20, Large Bash League or SA20.
He was additionally the membership’s main scorer, at higher than a run a ball, within the Metro Financial institution One-Day Cup, and was Warwickshire’s No 1 batter within the Championship too, accumulating 922 runs at 54.2. The 29 wickets together with his seam, together with six in a man-of-the-match show to beat Durham, made it simply concerning the good season.
MATTHEW REVIS (Yorkshire)
Harry Brook is an enormous fan of a participant that emerged from the identical Burley-in-Wharfedale membership aspect and adopted him into the Yorkshire first workforce.
Now, on the again of some spectacular shows throughout all codecs in 2025, the 23-year-old, who has recovered from a stress fracture of the again, is about to take one other step on Brook’s path by heading to Australia subsequent month with England Lions.
This was Revis’ breakout 12 months at county stage, and one by which he lastly addressed the lingering query about his plentiful skill: is he a batting or seam bowling all-rounder?
Three midsummer First Division County Championship lots of in a marketing campaign by which he averaged within the 60s answered that.
All-rounder Matthew Revis had a breakout 12 months for Yorkshire and averaged over 60 with the bat
Ben Inexperienced was an integral member of Leicestershire’s promotion-winning aspect
BEN GREEN (Leicestershire)
It was a surprising season for the all-rounder, who grew to become an integral member of Leicestershire’s promotion-sealing XI, taking 31 Division Two wickets at 20.9 apiece, whereas on mortgage from Somerset.
He additionally hit 195 lower-order runs and took 20 wickets as an ever-present within the Blast success together with his major employers.
The 28-year-old was additionally a mainstay of the Somerset aspect that reached the Metro Financial institution Cup semi-final, which means that he tasted victory 26 occasions throughout the season – greater than every other participant on the county scene.
This winter he switches to Leicester completely on a two-year deal and might be provided the membership’s T20 captaincy, Day by day Mail Sport understands, following the discharge of Louis Kimber.
FERGUS O’NEILL (Nottinghamshire)
Though his time on the county scene was restricted to twenty-eight days at first of the season resulting from ECB guidelines, the Australian offered Nottinghamshire with early impetus of their title cost, taking 21 wickets in 4 appearances.
A nervous flyer, who had by no means beforehand ventured additional than New Zealand – the place he was born earlier than rising up in Victoria – he nonetheless made a flying begin, with eight wickets on debut within the first-round win over Durham.
A change within the ECB guidelines means he now qualifies to play a full season in 2026 and Nottinghamshire are anticipated to signal him up forward of an Ashes collection starting on November 21, 2026 that might but function the favored Australia A seamer.
Aussie Fergus O’Neill gave Nottinghamshire early impetus of their title cost, taking 21 wickets in 4 appearances
Leicestershire’s Alex Inexperienced, seen right here representing England Underneath 19s earlier this month, had a superb Metro Financial institution One-Day Cup marketing campaign
ALEX GREEN (Leicestershire)
Inexperienced might simply be mistaken for certainly one of Leicester Tigers’ lock forwards up the street.
A hulking quick bowler who owes his choice on this Group of the 12 months to a exceptional Metro Financial institution Cup marketing campaign this August by which he bagged three five-wicket hauls within the area of a fortnight – greater than Andrew Flintoff or Stuart Broad managed of their total careers.
Nonetheless solely 18, if he can proceed to dismiss opponents recurrently and develop his athleticism and mobility, he’ll seem on England’s radar sooner or later.
For now, although, he might be a part of the England Underneath-19 squad heading to the Caribbean this autumn for 5 youth one-day internationals in opposition to West Indies and two versus USA – preparation for subsequent January’s World Cup in southern Africa.
TOM TAYLOR (Worcestershire)
Beforehand a journeyman seamer with three different Midlands counties (Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire), the 30-year-old has discovered a house at New Street, ending because the Championship’s main wicket-taker with 58 – doubling his private greatest within the course of.
Worcestershire bowler Tom Taylor had certainly one of his greatest seasons but aged 30
All this regardless of Worcestershire’s top-flight struggles that noticed them marooned on the backside, 41 factors under the remainder.
Taylor could have taken a lot pleasure in his 2025 achievements, although, which additionally included a winner’s medal on an emotional day for the Pears – following final 12 months’s dying of Josh Baker – on the Metro Financial institution Cup last in September.
