PCA PRESS RELEASE
The PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings return as England head to Lord’s to begin their Test Match summer.
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Young spinner, Dominic Bess is set to make England debut during the first Test against Pakistan at Lord’s with Captain Joe Root confirming the 20-year-old will play at the home of cricket.
Bess has featured in 16 First-Class matches so far in his career and will be hopeful of making an immediate impact in the MVP Rankings as England’s front-line spinner.
Jos Buttler will also be hoping to make his mark during the Test Series against Pakistan following his recall to the Test side.
Buttler hasn’t been a part of the England red-ball set-up since his omission in 2016, however, his destructive style has received worldwide plaudits following an impressive stint for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
Despite Buttler’s inclusion to the Test team fellow keeper Jonny Bairstow is set to keep the gloves. The Yorkshireman finished top of the Overall England PCA MVP Rankings during the winter campaign with 205.83 MVP points after he recorded several memorable innings during the tours of Australia and New Zealand.
Bairstow will be aiming for a similar outcome during England’s summer schedule.
Stuart Broad was the leading England player during the Winter MVP Test Rankings as he pipped Lancastrian bowling partner James Anderson to the number one Test position. Broad finished the last Test schedule with 136.44 MVP points just ahead of second-place Anderson who ended with 131.37 MVP points.
Both seamers will be hoping for a similar outcome with English conditions favouring the experienced bowlers.
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.
Test skipper Root has spoken of his desire to turn fifties into centuries for his country following a disappointing winter period and after making the decision to bat at three, the England Captain will certainly be looking to make a huge impact over the coming months.
All-rounder Ben Stokes has proven his talent with both bat and ball and after finishing second in the Overall MVP Rankings for England last summer he will be aiming to reproduce similar performances.
Back on home soil, openers Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman will be hopeful of forging a partnership that sees them score highly in the MVP Rankings.
The final spot for the first Test at Lord’s will be a straight battle between Mark Wood and Chris Woakes with both desperate to prove their worth with English conditions.
To view more information about the MVP Rankings and view the current Overall MVP standings visit the MVP page.
Keep up-to-date with daily MVP news by following the rankings on Twitter.
