Ahead of the start of the 2025 County Championship, Wisden writers - Jo Harman (Wisden Cricket Monthly editor), Phil Walker (Wisden Cricket Monthly editor in chief), Ben Gardner (Wisden.com managing editor), Yas Rana (Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast host) and Katya Witney (Wisden staff writer) - have made their predictions for what the season has in store.
Who will win Division One?
JH: Surrey – sorry, terribly dull I know, but I can’t see anyone stopping them making it four on the bounce. Like all champion teams, they continue to strengthen – new recruits Nathan Smith and Matt Fisher fit the Surrey brand perfectly – and their batting depth makes them so hard to beat even when they’re not at their best.
PW: Surrey, obviously. Calling up Kemar a week out from the first game was a classic power flex. A tiny lack of batting depth if and when Pope and Smith are rested/called up, but straws be clutched. Besides them I want to see how Durham go: Brendan Doggett is a class new-ball signing, Emilio Gay’s a good recruit, Will Rhodes offers ballast and experience, and Dave Bedingham could be the best bat in the county game. And Somerset – a dreamy middle order (Lammonby, Abell, Banton, Rew) is the match of any team in the land. If Matt Henry’s shoulder heals, he could be the difference.
KW: Surely this will be unanimous? The glam boys at The Oval have it all, money, plenty of depth, England stars dipping in and out, and money. Kemar Roach will run in again early in the season and take plenty, and Dan Worrall will inspire calls for an England call-up again. Somerset could potentially hold a candle to them, Essex maybe and Durham feel like an outside bet. But over the course of a long season, it's hard to see anyone besting them.
BG: Surrey. My heart says Somerset, but then my eyes and head go to a schedule that sees them not hosting the three-on-the-spin winners and wonders if that could prove decisive. Rory Burns’ side have been slightly less dominant in the recent past by their own exacting standards, and the signing of Matt Henry could be transformative for Somerset. But I still think the true Oval Invincibles will have just enough.
YR: Surrey will once again start the season as overwhelming favourites. Durham aside, no one comes close to rivalling them for squad depth. Somerset, with their increasingly formidable middle-order and star power in their bowling attack, should also challenge but I see no reason why Surrey will wane as a force in 2025. If anything, they will see their away form and general threat in the Kookaburra rounds as obvious areas for improvement.
Which teams will be relegated?
JH: Worcestershire proved me and many others wrong last year but Division One looks even stronger than last year and I’m not sure they’ve got the resources to stay up after the loss of Joe Leach and a quiet off-season in the transfer market. It’s a tight call for the second relegation spot. Sussex have a strong bowling line-up but an experienced batting unit at this level could see them struggle.
PW: When Worcestershire won three games on the bounce last year to stay up there was no better story in the game. A smashing club that deserves a break, but a tough early run of away fixtures and the constant threat of destabilising flooding to New Road makes a repeat all the trickier, especially in the context of a strong top division this term. I actually fear a bit for Notts: some good, tall, fastish bowlers, some of whom (Tongue, Pennington, Stone) England like, but they’re often not on the park; if they stay fit, they’ll be fine. If they’re struggling, they’ll be toothless. And I hate to say it, but an injury to one or both of Sam Cook or Jamie Porter, and Essex’s support cast are raw to say the least.
KW: While I have high hopes for Sussex, I worry for them. They ran a sensational Division Two campaign last year under John Simpson's experienced leadership, and having Ollie Robinson in their ranks is welcome, as well as the return of Jayden Seales. But their depth is lacking and no Cheteshwar Pujara this year makes it heavier. Worcestershire also feel like they're destined for a spot in the bottom two.
BG: Worcestershire staying up was one of the stories of last year, defying their modest pool of resources and the massive pool that New Road became whenever it rained. Having lost Joe Leach and Nathan Smith, two of their three joint leading wicket takers, this year’s task looks harder still. Joining them, I wonder if Nottinghamshire might be headed for another short stint in the bottom tier. They have gone on the radar as one of the competition’s yo-yo clubs, and only just avoided relegation last year.
YR: I found this category the trickiest. Division One has a particularly strong feel to it this year. Worcestershire are the weakest side and squad on paper but I hope I'm as wrong about them this year as I was in 2024. Sussex's top six is largely unproven at Division One level but I back their bowlers to nick enough games to keep them up. This is a potentially rogue shout given how close they were to winning the title last year, but I fear for Hampshire. James Vince is irreplaceable and I'm not sure their decision to let go of Mohammad Abbas will be vindicated come September.
Which teams will be promoted?
JH: Something has gone horribly wrong if Lancashire don’t return to the top tier at the first time of asking – their squad looks comfortably the strongest in Div 2. I think Middlesex and Kent will be locked in a battle for the second spot, with the former’s stronger bowling attack giving them the edge.
PW: Lancashire will get it done, Keaton Jennings to score millions and Matty Hurst to break a thousand for the first of many times. Behind them, I quite fancy Gloucestershire – quickest attack in the land – and Kent, purely because Adam Hollioake will demand actual results one way or another. In a league of too many bore draws, his attitude, and that of Darren Lehmann at Northants, is exactly what the division needs.
KW: Middlesex look like they're in with a shot, with the signing of Kane Williamson a particular bright spot. They're behind the favourites in Lancashire who had a bruising 2024 – the thought of James Anderson running in in Division Two for more than one season is unthinkable.
BG: Middlesex, with the canny signing of Dane Paterson in the early season and the star-studded one of Kane Williamson later on, should have plenty. Lancashire, relegated last year, still look lopsided and haven’t corrected everything that plagued them last season, but should still be good enough to go up, with the class of Keaton Jennings, Josh Bohannon and Tom Bailey shining through.
YR: It's hard to look past Middlesex and Lancashire though both sides lack depth in the seam bowling department so you can easily envisage how their campaigns could quickly derail. Kent were terrible in 2024 but if their unproven overseas signings come off, they could easily be in the mix.
Which players are you most excited to watch?
JH: I like the look of Ben McKinney, Durham’s towering opener who impressed the England selectors on the recent Lions tour of Australia. With Zak Crawley in another funk, Scott Borthwick thinks the 20-year-old leftie could break into the Test side this summer.
PW: Tom Banton is due a breakout year. I can see him bothering Test cricket if he’s not careful. Young players: Hamza Shaikh (Warwickshire stylist); Jamal Richards (Essex quick); James Minto (Durham wrecking ball); Kashif Ali (Worcestershire’s golden boy); Charlie Allison (Essex opener in waiting); Calvin Harrison (Notts leggie).
KW: For young players, the lure of the Flintoff and Vaughan names are hard to tear yourself away from when scanning the scorecards. Not because of expectation, but more nostalgic interest boosted by the successes they've had in their early careers. Sam Cook's story across the season will be one to keep an eye on, especially when the Kookaburra comes into play mid-season.
BG: With Shoaib Bashir struggling for form for England, Carson, who claimed 50 wickets at 22 in Sussex’s promotion winning campaign last season, will have the chance to show he should be the next spinner tried, should Bashir fail to rediscover his best.
YR: McKinney and Shaikh. I can't remember the last time a batter with so little professional cricket behind him has been hyped as much as McKinney has this winter – it will be fascinating to see how he goes for a strong Durham side. Shaikh, meanwhile, is set for a proper stint in the Warwickshire middle order, an opportunity that very few 18-year-olds earn in Division One.
What are you most looking forward to during the season?
JH: Jimmy Anderson v Wayne Madsen – a combined 83 years between them and still two high-class operators. Madsen is back as captain at Derbyshire and Anderson is set for his first county season without any England distractions for more than 20 years. Fitness permitting, they’ll meet at Chesterfield on June 29.
PW: Jonny B to captain Yorkshire is a thrilling, dangerous and possibly inspired prospect. He’s my tip for player of the season.
KW: Would everyone hate me if I said Surrey lifting a fourth? Failing that Durham look really exciting, with David Bedingham back and always entertaining to watch.
BG: It’s cliche to say ‘the first ball’, but it feels especially true this year, with April opening with sunshine, each lush county outfield a blank canvas on which to paint the stories of the summer. Basking in the glow of that first day (I’ll be at Lord’s, even if Jimmy won’t be) will be a true joy.
YR: Simon Harmer taking his 1000th first-class wicket. He's 53 away, I reckon he'll get there in the last game of the season at home to Somerset.
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