Five Young Cricketers to keep an eye on during the County Cricket season- Season so far

Back in February, I wrote a preview piece for the County Cricket season and picked out five young prospects to watch (https://prostinternational.com2022/02/17/five-young-cricketers-to-keep-an-eye-on-during-the-new-county-cricket-season/). Here’s how they’re getting on so far

Tom Lammonby

Lammonby is a player that I was tipping to be in and around the England set-up for the upcoming New Zealand tests but he has done little of note so far this season, registering only 187 runs from his seven innings to date with one half-century.

That half-century however did come in the left-handers most recent innings, against Warwickshire, and was brought up at a decent speed, facing only 93 balls in his knock of 56. While an average of 26.7 is far from awful for an opener in early season conditions, the Somerset man will certainly be hoping for a dramatic upturn in fortunes over the coming months if he harbours any ambitions of playing with the Three Lions on his chest this year.

Harry Brook

Six innings is all it has taken for many fans up and down the country to be calling for Brook to bat at number five in the upcoming series against the Blackcaps. 636 runs have come from the bat of the Yorkshireman including a career best 194 against Kent in the White Rose’s Championship clash at Headingley in the final week of April, putting bowlers to the sword since the moment he strode onto the ground at Bristol on the second day of the season.

Three centuries have been struck, along with three other half centuries, leaving the Yorkshireman with a low score of 56 and potentially a tight grip on the England shirt for the summer, unless selectors decide to keep faith with incumbents Dan Lawrence and Ollie Pope. If Brook keeps churning out scores at his current rate however, it is only a matter of time before the selectors come calling, as shown by his call-up for the T20 series in the Caribbean earlier this year.

Saif Zaib

Aside from a score of 65 in the Steelbacks opening game of the season against Gloucestershire, Zaib has struggled to make much of an impact to the scoring charts so far in Division One of the County Championship as Northamptonshire have battled their way to three draws from their opening four games before suffering a heavy defeat at early season pacesetters Surrey.

The left-hander has floated up and down the order this season without capturing the form of last season’s batting performances whilst with the ball he has picked up the wicket of Paul Walter in amongst the seven overs he bowled in the draw with Essex, his sole contribution with the ball so far this season. As the white ball competitions draw nearer, Zaib will likely take more responsibility with the ball, particularly in the powerplay stages of the Vitality Blast whilst he will be hoping that a big score is just around the corner to help kickstart his season as Northants fight to stay in Division One.

Matty Potts

One man that is unlikely to be in the frame for an England call-up but has flown decidedly under the radar to start the season is Durham pacer Matty Potts. The Sunderland native has picked up 24 wickets in five fixtures to start the season for the Northern side, returning six wicket hauls in clashes against Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire as his side have battled valiantly in the early stages but have been unable to get across the line in a number of tight clashes.

His early season form has him top of the Division Two wicket-takers list whilst his six-wicket hauls all sit in the top five bowling performances of the season so far. The one argument which will work against Potts when it comes to gaining international honours and recognition is that his scalps have come in the lower division of the Championship however he has dismissed several batsmen with international ambitions of their own, including Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett against Notts before removing former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali and two of last season’s leading run-scorers, Jake Libby and Tom Haines, in clashes against Worcestershire and Sussex respectively.

Henry Brookes

Yet to rediscover his best form on his return from injury, Warwickshire paceman Brookes has registered just the one wicket so far in the Championship this season from his two appearances, struggling to find any particular rhythm of form with the ball. Six wickets followed in a second XI clash against the South Asian Cricket Academy, taking the new ball in the second innings after fellow pacer Olly Stone was struck down with another injury setback only seven balls into his own return.

Brookes will be hoping to get back to his best over the coming months with both white and red ball in hand as Warwickshire seek to establish themselves in the First Division as well as fighting for limited-overs success, with Brookes likely to play a key role in all formats as the season heads towards the crucial stages as long as he can stay fit.

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