Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, It has been nearly 190 days since Nottinghamshire secured their seventh County Championship title - but will they defend their crown in 2026?
321 CommentsSix months on from Nottinghamshire winning the County Championship, the 2026 campaign gets under way on Friday.
Notts' first title since 2010 ended three seasons of dominance by Surrey, denying them a fourth four-day trophy in a row.
Following England's Ashes humiliation in the winter, the focus is now back on the county game and who might give the selectors a nudge by finding form in the opening few weeks.
All 18 counties are in action this weekend, and perhaps the stakes have never been higher for those dusting off their whites.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sir Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan think the first two months of the 2026 season will allow players to put themselves in line for England honours
After a couple of years when the connection between county cricket and the England team has felt somewhat distant there are signs things might be changing.
Of the England XI that lined up for the opening Ashes Test in November, only one player had made more than four County Championship appearances for their club in 2025.
That was Ollie Pope, who played six games for Surrey.
However, after the Ashes debacle, it's the start of a new cycle.
Two former England greats believe that means a fresh start for the county game.
Sir Alastair Cook told the BBC's TMS podcast: "I think the next three months is going to be really exciting for county cricketers. I think there are a fair few slots where you could go any number of combinations.
"Performances will for once have consequence in county cricket.
"I don't think just anyone in the 18 counties can open the batting for England, but I think there are three or four names the selectors will think 'these are the four - who's our best option to go alongside say, Ben Duckett, who I think has done enough over the last 18-24 months to be a pick."
Michael Vaughan added: "Strike-rates in the longer format are irrelevant at the top of the order. We need players who can bat a long period of time. To be the number one Test team in the world, which has to be the goal, you need players to bat a long period of time to wear the opposition bowlers down.
"I hope that's the message [the ECB] send. Playing the big drive on the up is probably not going to give you that chance."
With Notts skipper Haseeb Hameed, last season's leading scorer in Division One Dom Sibley, and young guns Asa Tribe of Glamorgan and Durham's Ben McKinney catching the eye, Vaughan added: "For Zak Crawley to win that race he needs a few hundreds in that opening burst of matches.
"I think it's great for the game, April and May the county game is going to be fantastic, there will be England bowlers bowling, desperate to make sure they are playing [in the first Test against New Zealand] on 4 June and a number of batters that for the first time in a number of years will be thinking 'if I have a golden few weeks I could be playing for England'."
England managing director Rob Key fanned the flames of optimism, adding: "There's a massive opportunity at the start of this summer.
"We're going to use [a new County Insight Group] to get as much information as possible about potential players we might pick, the players who show they can score against the best bowlers but also be relentless and go on and score big runs."