The 2022 County Championship came to a close today, with Surrey wrapping up their second title in four years with a round to spare and Warwickshire securing promotion in extraordinary circumstances in the final moments of the summer. Here is Wisden’s 2022 team of the year.
Keaton Jennings (Lancashire)
1,233 runs @ 72.52, five hundreds; HS: 318
The standout opener in the top tier, finishing top of the division’s run-scoring charts despite missing the first three games of the season through injury. Jennings’s 318 against Somerset was the fourth highest individual score for Lancashire in the club’s history; the left-hander passed 200 twice this season. He just missed out on a third double hundred when he was dismissed for 199 against Surrey in the final match of the summer. His form has seen calls for a possible return to the England team this winter.
Shan Masood (Derbyshire)
1,074 runs @ 82.61, three hundreds; HS: 239
The first player to reach the 1000-run mark in this year’s Championship, Masood had a very profitable first season in the competition. The Pakistan batter helped Derbyshire to an improved season from 2021 but will depart the county for Yorkshire on a two-year deal next season.
Tom Abell (Somerset)
1,039 runs @ 51.95, five hundreds; HS: 150*
Somerset’s captain was instrumental in ensuring his side avoided relegation this year hitting five centuries including two in the same match against Northants in the penultimate game of the season. Leading from the front, Abell’s steely resolve was a rock for the Somerset batting order. He contributed four fifties alongside his five hundreds.
Cheteshwar Pujara (Sussex)
1,094 runs @ 109.40, five hundreds; HS: 231
In a difficult season for Sussex, Pujara added a touch of class as their premier overseas player. His 1,094 runs came in just eight games for the club, a tally that included a double century against Middlesex and left him as the fourth highest run-scorer in Division Two despite playing only eight of the 14 rounds.
Sam Hain (Warwickshire)
1,137 runs @ 63.16, three hundreds; HS: 202*
Hain was Warwickshire’s standout batter this year as the side went from champions to relegation contenders in a single season. While scoring a double century against Northamptonshire, Hain set a record with teammate Matt Lamb for the highest fifth-wicket partnership for Warwickshire against Northants.
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
967 runs @ 107.44, three hundreds; HS: 194
The young Yorkshire batter now making his mark in the England side, Brook’s total of just shy of 1,000 runs were scored across eight games in the first part of Yorkshire’s Championship. He also scored 140 for the England Lions against South Africa in August as well as a career-best 194 against Kent in April.
Ben Foakes (Surrey)
586 runs @ 73.25, one hundred; HS: 132*
45 dismissals: 44 catches, one stumping
Despite appearing in most of England’s Test Matches this summer, Foakes was still able to make an impact in Surrey’s winning campaign. His skills with the gloves are unmatched in the Championship and notching up three half centuries alongside his hundred against Warwickshire made him the stand-out keeper-batter of the season.
Simon Harmer (Essex)
59 wickets @ 20.67, six five-fors, BBI: 8-46
Another year as the pick of the spinners, Harmer bettered his tally of 54 wickets last season on the final day of the summer where he took the 50th five-wicket haul of his first-class career. His 13-wicket haul in a match which lasted just over four sessions at Chelmsford – including eight wickets in the final innings – was his stand-out performance of yet another impressive summer.
Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex)
67 wickets @ 18.80, four five-fors, BBI: 6-35
Returning as a more regular fixture in the Middlesex side after a difficult couple of years, Roland-Jones picked up a personal best tally of 67 wickets in a season. The right-arm seamer was instrumental in his side securing promotion back to Division One.
Kyle Abbott (Hampshire)
58 wickets @ 19.98, four five-fors, BBI: 6-36
A hat-trick against Gloucestershire was veteran Abbott’s moment of the season. Part of a formidable pace attack at the Ageas Bowl which also included Mohammad Abbas and Keith Barker, he helped Hampshire contend for the Championship title right up until they were beaten by Kent in the penultimate round of the competition.
Matthew Potts (Durham)
58 wickets @ 17.87, six five-fors, BBI: 7-40
A stunning season for Potts saw him burst into the England side after leading the way for Durham, finishing with six five-fors in 10 Championship appearances. The right-armer was a shining light in a middling season for Durham which saw them finish in the Division Two mid-table.
