With some reflection time on the County Championship, we highlight the fantasy cricket players who have performed best so far this season in The Cricket Draft
With a break in the County Championship schedule to allow for The Hundred and One-Day Cup competitions, it's the ideal time to take stock of some of the key performers in this season’s Cricket Draft.
From breakout stars like James Rew and Ollie Robinson to old heads like Chris Wright and Simon Harmer, there have been many excellent fantasy cricket performers this year.
In this article, we take a look at the top three performers in each position (batter, all-rounder, bowler) evaluating how they scored their points, why managers have favoured or avoided them and whether they are good value for money going into the latter stages of the season.
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James Rew (Som) – 1,856 points
The undeniable breakout star of this year’s County Championship season, Rew is the top scoring batter in The Cricket Draft.
The only batsman in division 1 to reach 1,000 runs, Rew averages 64.62 this year. He has scored 5 centuries including a career best score of 221. These runs are backed up by a strong performance behind the sticks, picking up 400 fielding points alongside his 1,456 batting.
It is no surprise that he is the very most selected player - 38 per cent of managers have him in their team - especially considering he still only costs £84k.
Oliver Robinson (Dur) – 1,722
Another young keeper having his best season, Robinson has gone from strength to strength since leaving Kent for the north-east this year.
A consistent performer in a strong Durham side, he has three centuries to go alongside another three fifties including a top score of 167*. Starting at only £109k this price has increased by 11 per cent to £122k, though this has not deterred managers with 21 per cent fielding him in their side. Another dual threat, he has 505 fielding points to supplement those impressive batting statistics.
Alex Lees (Dur) – 1,703
Ex-England opener Lees has had to score most of his points with the bat as he doesn’t bowl and only has 40 fielding points. This appears to be something that has put managers off with only 9 per cent selecting him.
However, it is also something he has managed with aplomb accruing 1,663 batting points. He could be a differential option going into the latter stages of the season.
Durham all-rounder Ben Raine [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
Sean Abbott (Sur) – 1,844 points
Bowling all-rounder Sean Abbott has had another wonderful season at Surrey. He has combined 37 wickets in this year’s County Championship with a handy 456 runs at 45.6.
Gameweek 10 was a special week for him as he hit a blistering 87* and took six wickets. Such a shame for Surrey - and The Cricket Draft managers who have been revelling in his points - that he won't be returning to The Oval for September's fixtures.
Ben Raine (Dur) – 1,811
Perhaps surprisingly listed as an all-rounder, Raine has collected 1,484 bowling points and only 242 batting showing that he is heavily reliant on his bowling to score his points this year.
Despite not taking a 5-for he has claimed 48 scalps (the most in division 2) helping him to accrue the second most points of any all-rounder in The Cricket Draft this year.
Ryan Higgins (Mid) – 1,788
Mr. Consistent in the Middlesex middle-order Ryan Higgins is perhaps the most well-rounded of the all-rounders in this list. He has an almost perfectly even split of batting and bowling points (857/851) and is just as likely to chip in with important middle-order runs as he is to tear through the middle-order of an unwitting opposition with his nagging consistency.
Though he has not taken a five-for or scored a hundred this season his consistency makes him an interesting option and has helped him accrue the fifth most points overall in this years Cricket Draft.
Simon Harmer of Essex [Alex Pantling/Getty Images]
Simon Harmer (Ess) – 2,129
Harmer has been in electric form for his Essex side this year - the most expensive player in this year’s draft is also the only man to break 2,000 points.
Thanks in large part to a mammoth score of 391 points in gameweek 11, Harmer justifies his £195k salary having scored over 250 more points than anyone else – an opinion that 33 per cent of managers agree with, making him the second most selected player.
Chris Wright (Lei) – 1,611
A good bowler and handy lower-order batter, Wright is the latest cricketer to show that age is just a number in the County Championship. Taking the 5th most wickets in divison 2 with 36 (accruing him 1,125 bowing points) the 38-year-old has also chipped in with a handy 446 batting points.
Matthew Waite (Wor) – 1,566
Matthew Waite is an anomaly of a bowler in The Cricket Draft in that he has scored more batting points (825) than bowling points (676). This is perhaps best exemplified by his best week - gameweek 12 – in which he got 310 points despite only taking 1 wicket.
This is something that has clearly attracted the eye of many managers though with 19 per cent ownership for a man still just teetering below the 100k mark.
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