Derbyshire’s Luis Reece and Wayne Madsen feature in the top 10 of this week’s Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Overall Most Valuable Player Rankings
The all-rounder’s consistency with the bat and ball has been key for Derbyshire this season, scoring 278 runs and taking 22 wickets in the Specsavers County Championship at an average of 15.32.
He also narrowly missed out on the May PCA Player of the Month Award, after the public vote was dominated by Essex spinner Simon Harmer, who currently sits sixth in the Overall MVP.
Reece was one of the week’s biggest movers, climbing above above teammate, Madsen into eighth position in the Overall MVP and seventh in the Championship MVP. He was in action for Derbyshire against Durham, where he hit 55 runs and took four wickets, despite his side slipping to a narrow defeat.
Madsen himself sits tenth in the rankings, having scored 431 runs in the Specsavers County Championship at an average 47.89. He has also taken three wickets.
Somerset all-rounder Craig Overton has enjoyed a good 2019 season so far with both bat and ball. This week, he consolidated his dominance by moving to the top of the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Overall Most Valuable Player Rankings after putting in yet another match-winning performance.
The 25-year-old earned 40.88 MVP points – and was named Player of the Match for the fourth time this season across all formats – thanks to his seven wickets and 41 runs in his side’s victory over reigning champions Surrey in Guildford.
Following that performance, Overton moved 35 points clear of teammate Lewis Gregory in the Overall MVP. The latter had swept aside the competition up until this point, but was forced to sit out this week’s match due to injury, slipping down to third place in the process.
Jeetan Patel’s recent form has been nothing short of sensational. The veteran spinner followed up his 12 wickets against Surrey last week with another 10 against Nottinghamshire this time around. A second consecutive Player of the Match award followed in the bag, and the 2014 and 2016 MVP is now rivalling the likes of Overton and Gregory for the £10,000 Overall MVP prize once again, despite having played at least two games less than both so far this season.
Glamorgan’s Billy Root won’t be forgetting his performance against Northamptonshire in a hurry. The 26-year-old batsman struck a career-best 229 off just 252 balls to help his side remain unbeaten in – and in possession of one of the promotion places. Root’s sensational knock has helped him to move into the top 30 of the Overall MVP, as he looks to have firmly found his feet in Glamorgan’s colours.
Wicketkeeper Ben Brown hit his third hundred in as many games. The Sussex captain would’ve been forgiven for thinking it wasn’t going to be his season after recording scores of 0,0,0 and 1* in his first two Championship games. However, he has found fine form in the second block of fixtures, recording scores of 156, 131 and 107 to move into the top 30 of the Overall MVP.
In terms of the County Championship MVP, the aforementioned Patel has overtaken Essex’s Harmer to occupy first position. The Somerset duo of Gregory and Overton occupy third and fourth respectively, while Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance completes the top five, having had his streak of five consecutive first-class centuries ended by Essex.
All 16 squads will regroup before round seven of this year’s County Championship begins with Nottinghamshire hosting Hampshire on Sunday 9 June.
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