Worcestershire duo Ed Barnard and Moeen Ali have been named in the PCA Greene King Team of the Year.
The duo and all members of the side – captained by Surrey’s Rory Burns – have been selected via the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings.
Barnard amassed 478 Most Valuable Player points and finished third in the Overall MVP rankings.
He picked up 77 wickets and scored 784 runs across all formats.
Moeen totalled 406 MVP points to finish eighth in the Overall MVP rankings despite playing less than half of the games because of his England commitments.
He had the highest MVP average in county cricket and led the Rapids to their Vitality Blast triumph.
The team of star performers from 2018 contains all nominees from the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year shortlist with Kent’s Joe Denly and Matt Henry following Burns and Surrey team-mate Rikki Clarke into the Team of the Year as well as being nominated for the headline prize at tomorrow’s NatWest PCA Awards.
Six counties are represented, including at least one from every county who either won a trophy or gained promotion to show how the MVP Rankings rewards top performers who give their sides the best chance of winning over the course of a season.
Selected ahead of the last round of County Championship fixtures and via the MVP formula, the team consists of the best performing individuals in each position with the final XI selected on batting, bowling and fielding points across all competitions as well as average MVP points per match in county cricket.
Rory Burns – captain
· 375 Overall MVP points
· Top batsman in Championship MVP
· Most runs in the Championship, 1,359
· Captained Surrey to first title since 2002
· Called-up to England Test squad
Alex Davies
· 390 Overall MVP points
· Top opening batsman in Overall MVP
· 336 Overall Batting MVP points
· Scored 1,605 across all formats
· Hit six fifties in 15 T20 games
Joe Denly
· 579 Overall MVP points
· Won PCA’s Most Valuable Player
· 1,729 runs in all competitions
· 57 wickets in all formats
· Called-up to England Test squad
Ian Bell
· 386 Overall MVP points
· 1,833 runs across all formats
· 580 Blast runs, averaging 48
· Hit seven centuries in all formats
· Helped Warwickshire to promotion
James Vince
· 388 Overall MVP points
· 1,737 runs across all formats
· Past 50 on 10 separate occasions
· Top scorer for Hants in red-ball & One-Day Cup
· Led Hampshire to One-Day Cup title
Moeen Ali
· 406 Overall MVP points
· Highest MVP average in county cricket
· August’s PCA Player of the Month
· 17 games, 12 wins, eight as captain
· Led the Rapids to T20 title
Dane Vilas – wicketkeeper
· 383 Overall MVP points
· Highest placed keeper in MVP
· Keeper gained 147 fielding points
· 235* – highest individual score in Championship
· 1,194 runs across all formats
Rikki Clarke
· 501 Overall MVP points
· 76 wickets in all formats
· 777 runs in all formats
· Only missed one of Surrey’s 36 games
· Averaged 31 with bat & 22 with ball in Championship
Ed Barnard
· 478 MVP points
· Third in Overall MVP
· 77 wickets across all formats
· 784 runs across all formats
· Won Vitality Blast
Matt Henry
· 387 Overall MVP points
· 75 Championship wickets, season high
· Took three 10-wicket hauls
· Second highest wicket taker in One-Day Cup with 16
· Lord’s final and achieved promotion
Morne Morkel
· 374 Overall MVP points
· Nobody achieved more bowling points with 326
· 59 Championship wickets in 10 games
· Best strike rate of bowlers taking more than 13 wickets
· Won County Championship
The MVP formula was designed by the players to identify the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic and international season.
An innovation which provides a more rigorous analysis of player performances than traditional batting and bowling averages, the MVP formula gives full credit to those players whose performances improve their team’s chances of winning. Points are accrued for all runs scored and wickets taken, these are then adjusted within the context of the match to take into account strike rates and economy rates.
Runs gain more points if they are scored quickly or in low-scoring contests. Top order wickets are judged more valuable than those that fall later. Catches, run-outs and stumpings are also accounted for as well as bonus points for captains and players who are on the victorious side.
