Fans name County Championship team of 2026 as Bracey pips Rew by 1% in tightest vote of the year
Cricket fans have had their say — and the votes are in on the 2026 County Championship team of the season.
Invited to select an XI during the final round of the 2026 County Championship, supporters were asked to choose two openers, three middle-order batters, a wicketkeeper, two all-rounders, two pace bowlers and a spinner. The result is a side stacked with run-scoring records and wicket-taking hauls — and, remarkably, only one representative from champions Warwickshire.
Openers: Vasconcelos and McKinney
Ricardo Vasconcelos (Northants, 38% of the vote) topped the poll after finishing as the leading scorer in Division Two with 1,159 runs and six centuries, even though his side just missed out on promotion.
He is joined by Durham's Ben McKinney (31%), who announced himself in only the second game of the season with a career-best 244 against Gloucestershire and went on to make 1,044 runs at an average of more than 50 at the age of 21.
The rest of the vote: Josh Thomas (Somerset) 14%, Dom Sibley (Surrey) 7%, Rob Yates (Warwickshire) 5%, Dean Elgar (Essex) 3%, Rishi Patel (Leicestershire) 2%.
Middle order: Clarke, Abell and Bedingham
Joe Clarke (Notts, 31%) finished as the leading run-scorer in the country with 1,288 runs, including four centuries and six fifties, though Nottinghamshire could not retain their title.
Tom Abell (Somerset, 19%) claimed the highest score of the season by any batter — 307 against Surrey — on his way to 1,287 runs at an average of 71.5.
David Bedingham (Durham, 18%) went past 1,000 runs in a season for Durham for the fourth time, and will return to the county next season when they are back in Division One.
The rest of the vote: Dan Lawrence (Surrey) 13%, Sam Hain (Warwickshire) 9%, Jake Lehmann (Hampshire) 6%, Jack Haynes (Notts) 3%, Miles Hammond (Gloucestershire) 1%.
Wicketkeeper: Bracey edges Rew by 1%
The closest category of the entire vote saw Gloucestershire's James Bracey pip Somerset's James Rew by just 1% of the votes — 44% to 43%.
Bracey made 1,096 runs and five hundreds despite his side finishing bottom of Division Two, and also claimed 23 catches and two stumpings behind the stumps.
The rest of the vote: Ben Cox (Leicestershire) 7%, Chris Benjamin (Kent) 6%.
All-rounders: Overton and Hill clear the field
Craig Overton (Somerset, 44%) enjoyed an outstanding 2026 with both bat and ball, scoring 734 runs and taking 53 wickets in the 2026 County Championship while making a series of match-winning contributions. His county are still waiting for a first-ever title despite the 32-year-old's heroics, having again finished runners-up.
George Hill (Yorkshire, 21%) also excelled in both disciplines, taking 48 wickets at an average of 18.39 and making 748 runs including six half-centuries.
The rest of the vote: Ben Stokes (Durham) 12%, Matt Critchley (Essex) 8%, Ben Aitchison (Derbyshire) 5%, Lewis Gregory (Somerset) 4%, Martin Andersson (Derbyshire) 3%, Ryan Higgins (Middlesex) 3%.
Pace: ageless Abbott and record-breaking Bamber
Kyle Abbott (Hampshire, 30%) continues to rack up remarkable numbers in the four-day game at the age of 39, with his 64 wickets in the 2026 County Championship coming at an average of 16.15 for a side that finished bottom of Division One.
Ethan Bamber (Warwickshire, 23%) is the only Bears player to make the fans' XI despite their County Championship triumph — he was the leading wicket-taker in either division with 69, including four five-wicket hauls.
Warwickshire were crowned champions after a late-season surge that delivered five wins in their final six fixtures, leaving Somerset to settle for second once more, as previously reported on 28 September — yet Bamber stands alone in the supporters' side.
The rest of the vote: Matthew Potts (Durham) 18%, James Anderson (Lancashire) 13%, Henry Crocombe (Sussex) 8%, Olly Stone (Notts) 5%, Ben Sanderson (Northants) 3%.
Spinner: Patterson-White stands out
Liam Patterson-White (Notts, 41%) was the fans' pick after shining in what was not a particularly fruitful campaign for spinners, taking 42 wickets at an average of 25 in the 2026 County Championship. He also chipped in with important lower-order runs, including an unbeaten 111 against Leicestershire.
The rest of the vote: Dom Bess (Yorkshire) 22%, Jack Leach (Somerset) 21%, Simon Harmer (Essex) 16%.
The final XI
- Ricardo Vasconcelos (Northants) — opener
- Ben McKinney (Durham) — opener
- Joe Clarke (Notts)
- Tom Abell (Somerset)
- David Bedingham (Durham)
- James Bracey (Gloucestershire) — wicketkeeper
- Craig Overton (Somerset) — all-rounder
- George Hill (Yorkshire) — all-rounder
- Liam Patterson-White (Notts) — spinner
- Kyle Abbott (Hampshire) — pace bowler
- Ethan Bamber (Warwickshire) — pace bowler