County Championship cricket: Talking points ahead of the 2022 season

A new-look fixture list

Two divisions have returned to the County Championship for the first time since 2019, with 10 clubs in Division One and eight in Division Two.

There will also be five rounds played during June and July, an increase from three rounds during the 2021 season, designed to maximise the best conditions for cricket.

The future of the County Championship and English Test cricket?

The ability of the Championship to produce players of Test calibre has come under scrutiny with the recent dismal Ashes series in Australia and failure in the Caribbean.

One example is Ollie Pope, who averages an almost-unheard-of 70.43 in the top tier of the Championship having scored 986 runs, but just 28.66 at Test level with only one century back in 2020.

Long-term success on the international stage needs a successful county set-up and there will be plenty of eyes on the action in the early weeks of the season.

The County Championship starts next week… pic.twitter.com/vgdhQ3TNE7

— Cricket Mate 🏏 (@CricketMate_) March 31, 2022

Coronavirus

The last two Championship seasons have been affected by the pandemic, both with the three divisions and limited or no crowds.

This year the restrictions have eased; there were no training restrictions over the winter, allowing for a full pre-season for the sides. There will also be no restrictions on the number of fans permitted throughout the entire season.

International opportunities

With six rounds of the competition taking place before England’s first Test match of the summer, against New Zealand in June, there is ample opportunity for players to push for a spot in a less-than-settled England Test team.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad will be looking to impress the England selectors after being controversially left out of the series against the West Indies. A number of young players will also be looking for an opportunity in the national side.

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