Let the fantasy fun begin - our partnership with The Cricket Draft kicks off with the 2023 County Championship. It's free to play and entries are open
The Cricket Draft - in partnership with The Cricketer - has officially opened its first game of the 2023 season for entries.
With the County Championship due to commence in mere weeks, it's time to play the role of Chair of Selectors and pick your fantasy line-up of the finest batters and bowlers the domestic red-ball league has to offer.
Head to The Cricket Draft website now to enter
Free to play, The Cricket Draft gives you the chance to test your selection skills and compile a dream squad of county stars.
The better they perform, the more points your fantasy line-up will earn - so you want to select the individuals that will bag the most dismissals and plunder bucket-loads of runs.
Plus, you can chop and change your team throughout the campaign to bring in players that are in nick and jettison those that just can't buy a run or wicket.
The County Championship game is now open, with games for both men and women's Ashes and the T20 Blast following later in the season.
1. Head to The Cricket Draft website and sign up for free with a few basic details (or sign in if you've played before)
2. Select the County Championship game
3. Build your squad. Select at least 15 players, with the make-up and balance of batters, bowlers and allrounders up to you... just remember to stay within the £1.5 million 'salary cap'
4. Create or join a custom league to compete against friends, family or clubmates… or just play against everybody else
5. Pick your starting XI before April 6 to play the first game of the season and see how they perform
For more information, check out our dedicated guide on how to play The Cricket Draft.
Sam Hain, James Rew and Will Williams [Gareth Copley/Harry Trump/Stu Forster/all Getty Images]
Sam Hain
Hain's statistics last year were exceptional. The thing is, they were also very good in 2021, fantastic in 2019 and really strong in 2018. Hain plays every week and generally scores runs, every week. Entering his prime, it feels like he could be a guaranteed points machine and is priced very attractively at £118k.
2022 Cricket Draft performance: 1,625 points / 135.42 points per game
James Rew
He has had a very promising start to his First Class career and county fans are rightly excited. It is likely Rew will get the gloves for the whole season and, at just £70k, he is surely too much of a bargain to pass up.
2022 Cricket Draft performance: 567 points / 81.00 points per game
Will Williams
Lancashire have done some brilliant business securing the services of Will Williams, who joins the County as a local player due to holding a British Passport. He was immense in his short stint last summer taking 36 wickets in just 8 matches. Cheaper than others with a similar record, at £118k, he could be a great option.
2022 Cricket Draft performance: 1563 points / 195.38 points per game
Head to The Cricket Draft website now to enter for free
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