PCA PRESS RELEASE
County rankings reset ahead of nine Bob Willis Trophy fixtures on Saturday.
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The PCA’s domestic Most Valuable Player Rankings return on Saturday ahead of a truncated domestic season which will see the 18 counties compete in two competitions: the Bob Willis Trophy and the Vitality Blast.
First implemented in 2007, the MVP formula is entering its 14th season, and perhaps its most unique yet. The algorithm is used to identify the match-winners and key influencers in any given fixture by taking into account important contributions such as scoring a high proportion of your team’s runs, claiming top-order wickets and taking catches in the field.
When each individual player’s total points are aggregated at the end of the season, three domestic MVPs will be named for 2020: one for the Bob Willis Trophy, one for the Vitality Blast and a third cross-format Overall MVP.
Essex man Simon Harmer is the current holder of the Overall MVP title after he beat off the competition to win with 609 MVP points in 2019 – 67 clear of the nearest challenger which was Hampshire’s Kyle Abbott.
👑 Your 2019 Overall MVP.
🙌 @Simon_Harmer_ has been head and shoulders above the rest!
🌪️ An unforgettable season for the South African off-spinner.
🗞️ Full story 👉 https://t.co/Du7kC1V0oH pic.twitter.com/L3CqpW7hri
— PCA MVP Rankings (@pcaMVP) September 26, 2019
The off-spinner was also named the Specsavers County Championship MVP after performing outstandingly for his side in their victorious Division One campaign. Harmer claimed 463 points during the 2019 season in that competition alone.
Making predictions for first-class cricket in 2020 will be difficult, however, with teams set to play five regionalised fixtures each before the top two teams across the three regional groups meet in the five-day final of the Bob Willis Trophy, with the date and location yet to be confirmed.
With the 18 counties having voted to play both red-ball and white-ball cricket this summer, the Vitality Blast MVP will also return for the shortened tournament beginning on 27 August.
D’Arcy Short won the 2019 Vitality Blast MVP after a sensational debut campaign with Durham saw him score 186 MVP points in the competition – 25 clear of Somerset’s Babar Azam.
🥇 Congratulations D’Arcy Short 🥇 📈 He’s the man who’s led the #Blast19 MVP for majority of the summer! 👏 Mo pushed him close on Finals Day but the Australian was too good! 🙌 Congrats @ShortDarcy! 🗣 Here’s his thoughts 👉 https://t.co/BJCyTiwy3j pic.twitter.com/heae8qCTuY — PCA MVP Rankings (@pcaMVP) September 21, 2019
Lancashire fast bowler Saqib Mahmood will have to wait until at least 2021 to defend his Royal London One-Day Cup MVP title, however, and it is anticipated that the inaugural Hundred MVP will be crowned later in the same year.
Unusually, the domestic MVP returns later than the summer England MVP this year, with Ben Stokes currently leading the Overall table after four completed international fixtures of the summer.
View the 2019 MVP Rankings here.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest MVP news by following the @pcaMVP on Twitter.
