A panel of Wisden writers select a team of the standout red-ball performers this season.
1. Adam Lyth - Yorkshire
1,215 runs at 57.85, 5 hundreds, 5 fifties
The southpaw opener enjoyed his most prolific season for a decade, notching five centuries including 129 as part of a mammoth opening stand of 307 with Finlay Bean at Scarborough in June to set up an innings win over Gloucestershire which ignited their campaign. Lyth’s strike-rate of 64 was the highest of the six openers who passed 1,000 runs this year, his fluency setting the platform for Yorkshire to take five wins from their final seven games and clinch promotion.
2. Rory Burns (c) - Surrey
1,073 runs at 53.65, 3 hundreds, 5 fifties
Burns became the first captain to win three consecutive Championship titles since Brian Close in 1968, taking his overall tally as skipper to five in seven campaigns. He also produced his best season with the bat since being discarded by England, bouncing back from a century-less campaign in 2023 to top Surrey’s run-scoring charts and post a career-best 227 in the innings win over Lancashire at The Oval in August.
