GEORGE DOBELL, HUW TURBERVILL, JAMES COYNE, SAM MORSHEAD, NICK HOWSON, NICK FRIEND and ELIZABETH BOTCHERBY pick their champions, leading runscorers and wicket-takers, and final tables before a ball is bowled...
The Cricketer's writers were asked to pick their top performers for 2022 before a ball had been bowled in anger.
Let's see how ridiculous these look come October...
George Dobell: Hampshire
Huw Turbervill: Essex
James Coyne: Lancashire
Sam Morshead: Hampshire
Nick Howson: Hampshire
Nick Friend: Hampshire
Elizabeth Botcherby: Lancashire
Can Warwickshire defend their title?
George Dobell: Sussex
Huw Turbervill: Gloucestershire
James Coyne: Gloucestershire
Sam Morshead: Kent
Nick Howson: Gloucestershire
Nick Friend: Gloucestershire
Elizabeth Botcherby: Glamorgan
George Dobell: Dom Sibley (Warwickshire)
Huw Turbervill: Ben Brown (Hampshire)
James Coyne: James Vince (Hampshire)
Sam Morshead: Hashim Amla (Surrey)
Nick Howson: Alastair Cook (Essex)
Nick Friend: Rory Burns (Surrey)
Elizabeth Botcherby: Ben Brown (Hampshire)
Will Rory Burns make big runs for Surrey?
George Dobell: David Bedingham (Durham)
Huw Turbervill: Kiran Carlson (Glamorgan)
James Coyne: Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Sam Morshead: Joe Clarke (Nottinghamshire)
Nick Howson: Ben Slater (Nottinghamshire)
Nick Friend: David Bedingham (Durham)
Elizabeth Botcherby: Kiran Carlson (Glamorgan)
George Dobell: Sam Cook (Essex)
Huw Turbervill: Sam Cook (Essex)
James Coyne: Mohammad Abbas (Hampshire)
Sam Morshead: Kyle Abbott (Hampshire)
Nick Howson: Craig Overton (Somerset)
Nick Friend: Sam Cook (Essex)
Elizabeth Botcherby: Kyle Abbott (Hampshire)
Will Mohammad Abbas make an impression at Hampshire?
George Dobell: Chris Rushworth (Durham)
Huw Turbervill: Luke Fletcher (Nottinghamshire)
James Coyne: Dane Paterson (Nottinghamshire)
Sam Morshead: Tim Murtagh (Middlesex)
Nick Howson: Dane Paterson (Nottinghamshire)
Nick Friend: James Pattinson (Nottinghamshire)
Elizabeth Botcherby: Chris Rushworth (Durham)
George Dobell: Brydon Carse (Durham)
Huw Turbervill: Josh Bohannon (Lancashire)
James Coyne: Liam Norwell (Warwickshire)
Sam Morshead: Liam Norwell (Warwickshire)
Nick Howson: Tom Haines (Sussex)
Nick Friend: Brydon Carse (Durham)
Elizabeth Botcherby: Josh Bohannon (Lancashire)
Is Josh Bohannon in with a chance of England recognition?
George Dobell: That the ECB showed the same love for it that they do for The Hundred.
Huw Turbervill: The emergence of matchwinning spinners.
James Coyne: That people lay off the groundsmen a bit. It can be hard for them to produce perfect pitches when most of the Championship is in April and May, and then there's so much white-ball cricket on the squares thereafter.
Sam Morshead: For people to allow themselves to enjoy the cricket from time to time.
Nick Howson: That players on the fringes of the England team can be allowed to play county cricket rather than being asked to run drinks at the Tests. And that we scale back the over-analysis of dismissals online; players are under enough pressure.
Nick Friend: On a purely human level, there are plenty of individuals who I'd like – and deserve – to do really well. For all the winter criticism, there are lots of talented cricketers on the county circuit.
Elizabeth Botcherby: Competitive performances from all of the teams in Division Two to quiet those who are ready to swing an axe at Derbyshire, Leicestershire and co.
Will Nottinghamshire win promotion?
George Dobell
1 Hampshire
2 Lancashire
3 Warwickshire
4 Surrey
5 Essex
6 Yorkshire
7 Somerset
8 Kent
9 Gloucestershire
10 Northamptonshire
Huw Turbervill
1 Essex
2 Warwickshire
3 Lancashire
4 Gloucestershire
5 Hampshire
6 Somerset
7 Surrey
8 Yorkshire
9 Kent
10 Northamptonshire
James Coyne
1 Lancashire
2 Hampshire
3 Essex
4 Warwickshire
5 Surrey
6 Somerset
7 Yorkshire
8 Gloucestershire
9 Kent
10 Northamptonshire
Sam Morshead
1 Hampshire
2 Lancashire
3 Essex
4 Warwickshire
5 Somerset
6 Surrey
7 Kent
8 Gloucestershire
9 Yorkshire
10 Northamptonshire
Nick Howson
1 Hampshire
2 Lancashire
3 Essex
4 Somerset
5 Warwickshire
6 Yorkshire
7 Gloucestershire
8 Surrey
9 Kent
10 Northamptonshire
Nick Friend
1 Hampshire
2 Warwickshire
3 Lancashire
4 Essex
5 Somerset
6 Gloucestershire
7 Surrey
8 Kent
9 Yorkshire
10 Northamptonshire
Elizabeth Botcherby
1 Lancashire
2 Warwickshire
3 Hampshire
4 Essex
5 Gloucestershire
6 Somerset
7 Yorkshire
8 Surrey
9 Kent
10 Northamptonshire
Will Somerset end their long wait for the title?
George Dobell
1 Nottinghamshire
2 Durham
3 Middlesex
4 Sussex
5 Worcestershire
6 Glamorgan
7 Leicestershire
8 Derbyshire
Huw Turbervill
1 Nottinghamshire
2 Durham
3 Derbyshire
4 Middlesex
5 Worcestershire
6 Glamorgan
7 Leicestershire
8 Sussex
James Coyne
1 Nottinghamshire
2 Durham
3 Middlesex
4 Worcestershire
5 Derbyshire
6 Leicestershire
7 Glamorgan
8 Sussex
Sam Morshead
1 Nottinghamshire
2 Middlesex
3 Durham
4 Glamorgan
5 Worcestershire
6 Derbyshire
7 Sussex
8 Leicestershire
Nick Howson
1 Nottinghamshire
2 Durham
3 Glamorgan
4 Worcestershire
5 Middlesex
6 Derbyshire
7 Leicestershire
8 Sussex
Nick Friend
1 Nottinghamshire
2 Durham
3 Middlesex
4 Glamorgan
5 Worcestershire
6 Leicestershire
7 Derbyshire
8 Sussex
Elizabeth Botcherby
1 Nottinghamshire
2 Durham
3 Glamorgan
4 Middlesex
5 Derbyshire
6 Worcestershire
7 Leicestershire
8 Sussex
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