Somerset’s Lewis Gregory continues to lead the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings after another devastating display helped his side defeat Nottinghamshire by an innings and 14 runs.
Six first innings wickets and a run-a-ball fifty in his only opportunity to bat helped Gregory earn 38.29 MVP points and continue his sublime start to the 2019 campaign.
Gregory’s teammates Jack Brooks and Jack Leach combined to take all 10 second innings wickets, but it was the combination of runs and wickets that helped Gregory earn another MVP Man of the Match award.
The all-rounder now sits 31 points above second place Simon Harmer who surged into the top ten of the Overall MVP Rankings after his excellent display in Essex’s drawn match with Surrey. Harmer took an astonishing five out of the six wickets during Surrey’s second innings and eight out of the sixteen wickets in the match to earn himself 40.12 MVP points.
The MVP formula was designed by the players to identify the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic and international season.
The innovation provides a more rigorous analysis of player performances than traditional batting and bowling averages. For example, runs gain more points if they are scored quickly or in low-scoring contests and 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.
The player who tops the Overall County MVP Rankings at the end of the season receives a £10,000 reward.
Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson finished round two with the highest individual score of the week after impressing with both the bat and ball during Hampshire’s heavy defeat to Yorkshire. 149 runs in the match and three wickets out of the seven taken earned Dawson 41.30 MVP points and moved him up to fourth in the rankings.
Yorkshire’s dominance involved several key individual displays which keeps England captain Joe Root and Gary Balance in the top 10 of the Overall Rankings. However, in a poor team performance Dawson’s brilliant individual display saw him finish as the strongest MVP of the second round.
Kent’s Harry Podmore had a performance to remember during round two as he helped his side to an eight-wicket victory over Warwickshire. Podmore took eight wickets in the match and dismissed both openers over the course of the match, an achievement which scores highly in the MVP Rankings earning him 38.56 MVP points.
Charlie Morris took career-best bowling figures of 7/45 during Leicestershire’s second innings as he helped bowl out the opposition for the second time and grab his side their first victory of the season.
PCA Chairman Daryl Mitchell, PCA rep Ben Cox and Hamish Rutherford had put the Pears in a commanding position after their first innings centuries brought about a Worcestershire declaration. Nevertheless, Morris’ final day brilliance made him the match-winner and earned him 29.71 MVP points.
A key component of the MVP formula is rewarding players plying their trade in the top tier of red-ball cricket meaning MVP points gained in Division Two are worth 20% less than Division One.
Wayne Madsen recorded the highest score of the County Championship so far with a breath-taking 204 not out to help Derbyshire fight back and tie their fixture against Gloucestershire. The sheer quality of Madsen’s innings took Derbyshire from 18-2 and struggling to 388-3 and comfortable with the 35-year old finishing with 37.62 MVP points.
Glamorgan debutant Marnus Labuschagne proved the stand-out performer in one of the highest scoring championship fixtures you’re likely to see. Labuschange was one of three Glamorgan centurions with Kiran Carlson and Billy Root also reaching triple figures as they posted 570 against Northamptonshire.
The visitors managed to rack up 750 runs of their own in their only innings with PCA rep Rob Keogh, Robert Newton and Ricardo Vasconcelos scoring centurions. Labuschagne took three wickets in the monster innings and finished with 35.31 MVP points.
Stiaan Van Zyl picked up the MVP Man of the Match award after his match-winning century helped Sussex bounce back from their defeat in round one. Van Zyl came to the crease with his side 12-2 and in a precarious position before the South African hit an unbeaten century to guide his side to a six-wicket victory against Durham.
Lancashire got their season up and running with victory at Lords as they defeated Middlesex by seven wickets.
James Anderson was back to doing what he does best and took six wickets in the match including both openers during Middlesex’s second innings. Lancashire’s victory also saw a timely return of form for 22-year old Haseeb Hameed who hit a first innings century along with Rob Jones.
Following the second round of fixtures, the County Championship will now step aside until May 14th with the One-Day Cup starting on Wednesday and taking centre-stage.
To view more information about the MVP Rankings visit the ‘About the MVP’ page.
Keep up-to-date with daily MVP news by following the @pcaMVP on Twitter.
