Surrey’s Will Jacks has been named in the PCA’s Greene King Team of the Year thanks to his incredible performances in the Vitality Blast.
The team of star performers contains two of the shortlisted players for the NatWest PCA Men’s Player of the Year in the form of Harmer and Craig Overton.
Meanwhile, two of the hottest prospects in the game in Will Jacks and Tom Lammonby are included – the duo are shortlisted to win the Vitality PCA Young Player of the Year, with both awards announced as part of the NatWest Cricket Awards on Vitality Blast Finals Day.
The Awards will be the first of its kind when it takes place on Saturday. The event will incorporate the 51st NatWest PCA Awards and the annual NatWest Outstanding Service to Cricket Awards (OSCAs) to celebrate all levels of cricket from grassroots to the international game in this most unique of summers.
The team is a mixture of youth and experience with former England Test captain Alastair Cook selected due to his red-ball performances in helping Essex lift the Bob Willis Trophy.
Eight counties are represented and the team was selected ahead of the Vitality Blast quarter-finals. The balanced team consists of the best performing individuals on the county circuit across red and white-ball cricket. Batting, bowling and fielding points were taken into consideration as well as MVP points-per-game and MVP of the Match awards to create the ultimate domestic team of 2020.
Stats correct as of Wednesday 30 September when team selected.
Alastair Cook
- 339 Overall MVP points
- MVP in Lord’s Final after scoring 203 match runs
- Most runs in the Bob Willis Trophy with 563
- Top batsman in Bob Willis Trophy MVP
Jake Libby
- 162 Overall MVP points
- Earned most MVP batting points with 151
- Scored 816 runs across both formats
- Faced most balls in Bob Willis Trophy – 1,041
Tom Lammonby
- 159 Overall MVP points
- 459 red-ball runs
- Hit three consecutive first-class hundreds
- Career best 116 in Lord’s final
Ben Duckett
- 142 Overall MVP points
- Third most batting MVP points
- 665 runs in all competitions
- Three MVP of the Match awards
Will Jacks
- 172 Overall MVP points
- Ended Blast group stage as MVP leader
- Opens batting & bowling in T20s
- 267 Blast runs, striking at 153+
Chris Cooke (Wicketkeeper)
- 181 Overall MVP points
- Most fielding MVP points with 52
- 515 runs across formats
- Five scores of 50+
Ryan Higgins
- 190 Overall MVP points
- Third in Overall MVP
- 30 wickets across formats
- Maiden 10-fer taking 11-96
Craig Overton
- 238 Overall MVP points
- Bob Willis Trophy MVP
- 30 red-ball wickets at 13.43
- August PCA Player of the Month
Simon Harmer (Captain)
- 268 Overall MVP points
- Set to be crowned back-to-back County MVP
- Top red-ball wicket taker with 38
- Most fielding points for outfielder with 20
Darren Stevens
- 167 Overall MVP points
- Averaging 33.37 points per game
- Third highest red-ball bowling MVP points
- Three five-wicket hauls
Josh Davey
- 186 Overall MVP points
- 35 wickets in all formats
- Second most seam bowling MVP points
- Averaged 13.79 with ball in red-ball cricket
The MVP formula was designed by the PCA in conjunction with the players to identify the key influencers and top performers in any given game.
On top of points for runs and wickets, bonus points are awarded, for example, for scoring runs quickly, claiming top-order wickets and taking catches in the field, amongst other important disciplines.
The algorithm therefore provides a more rigorous analysis of player performance than traditional batting or bowling averages do. The Overall County MVP is announced after the final ball of the season meaning the conclusion of the Vitality Blast Finals Day will see the individual at the top of the statistics taking home a cheque for £5,000.
