Jennings on course for North-South return Keaton Jennings is on course to earn a chance for revenge in next year’s North-South Series, as the current leader of the PCA’s Most Valuable Player rankings for the Royal London One-Day Cup. But for the moment the priority for Jennings is keeping his Durham team on track for a fairytale Lord’s appearance in July. Jennings was a frustrated captain of the North as they were beaten 3-0 in the first North-South Series in the UAE earlier this year. The top four players in the PCA rankings from both the North and South Groups will again earn automatic qualification for the 2018 series – and as things stand with more than half of the qualifying period completed, Jennings would be joined in the North squad by two of his Durham team-mates, James Weighell and Michael Richardson. Jennings in action for the North, earlier in the year. ” Playing in the North-South Series would be a great platform for guys like Richo and Wheelie,” said Jennings, who has relished the chance to captain Durham in the RLODC, with 403 runs from five innings including two centuries and two half-centuries. ” Unfortunately in the first series it was the guys from the South team, like Tom Curran and Toby Roland-Jones, who really stuck their hands up for selection. Hopefully it will be different in 2018 and the North guys can take the chance to impress.” Weighell, a 23-year-old seamer from Middlesbrough, is currently the second-highest North player in the rankings, with 13 wickets at an average of less than 17. Richardson, the son of the former South Africa wicketkeeper and current ICC chief executive Dave who went to school in Lancashire and has long been England-qualified, is close behind with 351 runs at an average of 117. If the qualifying period were closing now, Warwickshire’s Sam Hain would take the fourth place in the North squad – with Roland-Jones, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Ravi Bopara and Ben Foakes claiming the first four spots for the South. But there is a lot more cricket to be played over the next eight days, with a total of 31 more fixtures for players to claim MVP Rankings points – and more importantly, from Jennings’ perspective, to help their counties qualify for the knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup. Unlike in previous seasons, when the top four from the North and South Groups qualified for quarter finals, this year it’s only the top three who will stay alive in the competition. The teams who win the groups will be rewarded by a direct passage to a home semi final on June 16 and 17. Earlier that week, on Tuesday June 13, there will be two play-offs for the other two semi final places – as second in the North Group are at home to third in the South Group, and vice versa. As things stand, Yorkshire Vikings and Somerset would have home semi finals, with Worcestershire Rapids facing Essex Eagles, and Sussex Sharks at home to Notts Outlaws, in the play-offs. But as with the rankings, so much could change in the remaining week of qualifying matches – and Durham have the chance to leapfrog the Outlaws when they travel to Trent Bridge for a televised match on Thursday. That would be an especially impressive achievement as Durham started the competition with a two-point penalty as part of the punishment for the financial problems that came to a head last summer. ” In some ways it’s freed us up, as we’ve felt like underdogs with nothing to lose,” added Jennings. ” Richo and Stephen Cook have made my job much easier at the top of the order – Richo has scored very quickly, and while his stats for big-hitting might not be the best, his dot ball count is one of the lowest. ” James Weighell has such a good story, as a guy who was on our Academy but was let go when he was having a few injury problems. He’s fought his way back and he’s shown great skills and maturity in the way I’ve asked him to bowl at some tough times, and he’s generally come out on top. He can bat a bit too, although we haven’t really had to use that yet – hopefully that continues! ” I was lucky enough to play when we won the Royal London at Lord’s in 2014, and if we could get there again this year it would be amazing after starting off with that points deduction. Our next two games are big, against Notts and Worcester, the two teams above us. We’ve managed a bit of a rest over the last couple of days, and we can’t wait to get going again.” Details of the 2018 North-South Series will be confirmed later this summer. As in 2017, each squad will consist of 13 players – four earning automatic selection through their positions in the PCA MVP Rankings for the qualifying phase of the Royal London One-Day Cup, and the other nine chosen by the England selectors. To view the full Royal London One-Day Cup MVP Rankings click here.
