Can Middlesex hold off chasing pack?

Last season:
Championship: 1st Div 2; NatWest Blast: QF; Royal London Cup: QF
In: Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Adam Wheater (Hampshire), Simon Harmer (Kolpak)
Out: Graham Napier, David Masters (both retired), Jaik Mickleburgh, Tom Moore (both released)
Overseas: Neil Wagner (NZ, April-June), Mohammad Amir (Pak, June September)

2016 in a nutshell
Chris Silverwood dared Essex to dream last season and they duly delivered. A longed-for promotion, secured in Silverwood's first season in charge, ended a painful run of near misses and means Division One cricket will return to Chelmsford for the first time in seven years. With only one team due to go up, Essex cruised to the title on the contributions of a heavyweight top order - Tom Westley, Ryan ten Doeschate and Nick Browne all passed 1000 runs - and the red-ball firepower of Graham Napier, David Masters and Jamie Porter, who shared 158 wickets; only Kent came close to knocking them off course before falling at the penultimate hurdle. There was, however, familiar disappointment in the limited-overs competitions, with a pair of quarter-final defeats for the third year in a row.

2017 prospects
Three times have Essex been promoted in the two-division era, and three times have they slid straight back down. In the new, streamlined top tier, where only six teams will be safe, the challenge looks even greater - particularly when you factor in the retirements of Napier and Masters. The overseas recruitment seems shrewd, however, with Neil Wagner (who had a successful spell with Lancashire last year) and Mohammad Amir splitting the season as attack spearhead, while South Africa's Simon Harmer will strengthen the spin bowling after signing on a Kolpak deal. The availability of Alastair Cook, a little lighter for having given up the Test captaincy, for up to eight Championship matches before England take on South Africa could also be significant. Chelmsford will be disappointed if a T20 challenge does not emanate, too.

In charge
Silverwood made the perfect start to life as head coach, having been promoted from assistant to succeed Paul Grayson. He spent part of the winter seconded to the Lions on their tour of Sri Lanka - gaining a positive reference from former Essex player and England team director Andy Flower - before returning to begin pre-season preparations for what, in musical terms, may turn out to be the "difficult second album". Ten Doeschate, meanwhile, seemed to grow with the added responsibility of captaincy and this year he will take charge in all formats (Ravi Bopara relinquishing the job in white-ball cricket to focus on his own game), giving Essex a proven leadership combo to try and steer the course.

Key player
Nobody scored more Championship runs for Essex in 2016 than Westley's 1217, which included a career-best 254 against Worcestershire as his team rumbled imperiously towards the title in September; he also led the charts in the Blast, showing how important his wristy strokeplay is across all formats. After a winter of impressive performances with the Lions, Westley will be hoping that Division One runs (without the asterisk attached to those in the second tier) can help make Trevor Bayliss and the England selectors finally take notice. At the age of 28, this could be a pivotal campaign for his chances of winning a cap.

Bright young thing
When Napier was mulling his impending retirement and the challenge for Essex in replacing him, the first name on his lips was that of Aaron Beard - a teenage fast bowler who had taken to calling the 36-year-old allrounder "Dad". Beard made a fleeting appearance as a substitute fielder when England played Essex in a warm-up match before the 2013 Ashes but he will be expected to play a more central role this summer. Slight and skiddy, he rattled Sri Lanka on debut last year, with five wickets in the match, and has been a regular with England Under-19s but probably needs a few more sessions in the gym before he can flex a bicep to Napier.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
Essex have a formidable cadre of homegrown batsmen - Varun Chopra, Dan Lawrence, Adam Wheater and Bopara should compete for spots alongside Cook, Westley and Browne - and will hope that big totals, coupled with spells from the indefatigable Wagner and incisive Amir, will turn enough matches their way. Still, Division One takes no prisoners and a battle for survival against better-resourced opposition surely awaits. If they can stay up for the first time and pull off a run at one of the limited-overs trophies, then Chelmsford will surely garland Silverwood once again. Alan Gardner

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship: 20-1; NatWest Blast 12-1; Royal London Cup 14-1

Last season:
Championship: 8th Div 1 (avoided relegation thanks to Durham's ECB sanction); NatWest Blast: 8th South Group; Royal London Cup: 5th South Group
In: Kyle Abbott (Kolpak), Rilee Rossouw (Kolpak), Asher Hart (Durham), Fraser Hay
Out: Adam Wheater (Essex), James Tomlinson, Andy Carter, Gareth Andrew (all retired), Tino Best, Yasir Arafat, Joe Weatherley (Kent, season's loan), Ryan McLaren (Lancashire)
Overseas: George Bailey

2016 in a nutshell
Desperately disappointing. Unable to progress beyond the group stages in either white ball competition (only Somerset won fewer T20 games in either division; a huge disappointment for a team which had made Finals Day every year since 2010). Hampshire were also only reprieved from Championship relegation by Durham's financial troubles and their consequent demotion; an ironic lifeline for a club which have cost their benefactor, Rod Bransgrove, £10m he knows will never see again. They were hindered by events beyond their control: Michael Carberry (eight Championship matches) was ill; Reece Topley (one Championship match in which he wasn't able to bowl) was injured, as were Fidel Edwards, Chris Wood and Ryan Stevenson, while James Vince (eight Championship matches) was required by England. Bowling sides out was desperately tough. Ryan McLaren took the most wickets, a modest 32, but they cost him 38.81 a time. And, while the batsmen found form as the season progressed, only Sean Ervine made 1,000 Championship runs.

2017 prospects
A combination of recruitments and returns means Hampshire go into the season with realistic hopes of a sharp improvement in fortunes. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Kolpak registrations, the addition of Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw strengthens Hampshire considerably. The return of Topley, Carberry, Edwards and Vince, alongside the addition of Bailey, effectively provides a new spine to the team. They should prove especially competitive in white ball cricket, where Rossouw and Topley may prove especially valuable, but with much greater strength in depth, improvement in the Championship is also well within their grasp. There have been departures, though, with McLaren's all-round contributions a substantial loss and Adam Wheater's return to Essex potentially having some knock-on effects. His replacement, Lewis McManus is not, at this stage, as good a batsman, though he has potential. With depth in batting and variety in bowling, though, Hampshire could be the surprise package of this season.

In charge
While Giles White remains as director of cricket, it is perhaps the appointment of Craig White as head coach that is most relevant. While White took over from Dale Benkenstein midway through the 2016 season, this is the first time he has had the opportunity to shape the team or control the environment at the club and it does seem his more relaxed approach marks a noticeable difference with that of his predecessor. Vince, somewhat jaded by the disappointments of 2016, remains as captain of the white ball teams, but Bailey will lead in the Championship when he is available. Given a bit of luck with fitness, Vince's job should be considerably easier than it was last year.

Key player
Liam Dawson batted at No. 4 for much of the time and delivered more than 300 Championship overs last year. While he may move two or three places down the order this season, his all-round skills will become, in the absence of McLaren, even more vital. He may well be the side's only spinner on early-season wickets and, as a batsman, he has the versatility to defend for hours in red ball cricket and thrash with the best of them in white ball cricket. England may come calling but, when he's available, he will be an important player.

Bright young thing
Mason Crane's development will continue to be watched with great interest. A decent English legspinner is a rarity in itself, but one good enough to earn a game for New South Wales is pretty extraordinary. He endured a tough season in 2016, but such things are probably to be expected for a teenage legspinner and he recently enjoyed a starring performance for The South on the pre-season trip to the UAE. His most immediate worry may simply be finding a place in the side. With Dawson likely to cope with the spin demands in the opening weeks and the reduced Championship schedule cramming a disproportionate number of games into the early weeks of the season (Hampshire play five Championship matches before the end of May), Crane may not always have the opportunity he requires. Tom Alsop is another worth keeping an eye upon.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
The bookies consider Hampshire one of the favourites to suffer relegation but, with what amounts to half a new team available to them, they should fare considerably better. Life in Division One is likely to continue to prove competitive and Hampshire have a tough start, playing the champions, Middlesex, and Yorkshire twice within their first three games, but if they can get off to a decent start and build confidence, they have the talent to compete towards the top of the table. They should be competing in the white ball formats, too. It should be a much-improved season. George Dobell

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship: 12-1; NatWest Blast 10-1; Royal London Cup 9-1

Last season:
Championship: 7th Div 1; NatWest Blast: 5th North Group; Royal London Cup: 9th North Group
In: Dane Vilas (Kolpak), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Kolpak), Brooke Guest
Out: Tom Smith (retired), Nathan Buck (Northamptonshire), Gareth Griffiths (Leicestershire), Luis Reece (Derbyshire), George Edwards, Alviro Petersen (both released)
Overseas: Ryan McLaren (SA), Junaid Khan (Pak, T20)

2016 in a nutshell
Since they pulled off a wholly unexpected Championship triumph in 2011, Lancashire's two subsequent seasons in Division One had ended in relegation. At the last in 2016, they avoided an unwanted hat-trick, but after leading the table by winning three of their first five matches, they failed to win again and ultimately only made sure of their first division status on the final day. Once Neil Wagner departed for New Zealand duty and James Anderson did likewise with England, they looked pedestrian, apart from Kyle Jarvis who bowled quickly at times as he took 51 wickets. At least there was satisfaction in the emergence of Haseeb Hameed and Liam Livingstone, as unalike in their approach as any batsmen in the country, but both brimful of promise. Lancashire's limited-overs cricket was disappointing. Fancied to make a strong challenge in the Blast, they failed to qualify, and once again their 50-overs cricket was desultory as they finished bottom of the group.

2017 prospects
Lancashire are another county to have gone down the Kolpak route over the winter, adding the old barnacle himself, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Dane Vilas, an attacking wicketkeeper-batsman to their squad. Chanderpaul is still grinding out hundreds for Guyana, at 42, and Vilas' first-class average is close to 40, although he lacks the batting pedigree of two recent South Africans at Lancashire, Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince. Ryan McLaren, 34 and another South Africa international, moves from Hampshire as a serviceable but hardly exciting overseas signing. It all feels like an attempt to shore up a Division One spot rather than an assault on the title, as well as lift performance levels in the Royal London Cup where the effects of a thin squad are often most felt. The spin of Arron Lilley and Stephen Parry, perhaps enhanced this season by Livingstone's mix of offspin and legspin, should again serve them well in T20. Lancashire's academy has been productive of late, with Rob Jones and Saqib Mahmood also worthy of mention, and Glen Chapple, the head coach, contends that opportunities for all are inevitable, but it remains to be seen if they can create a successful blend.

In charge
Ashley Giles has returned to Warwickshire, his first love, and in his place Lancashire have appointed two of their own. Chapple and his assistant Mark Chilton both had many years of service to the Red Rose, with nearly 1100 appearances between them. In an age of overseas coaches, to appoint from within, remarked Lancashire's chairman Michael Cairns, would "create a model of aspiration for the wider club, especially the younger players coming through".

Key player
Livingstone, who first came to prominence as a limited-overs hitter, pressed Giles into giving him an opportunity in the Championship last season and the results were impressive: 815 runs at 50.93, although he is the first to accept that much of his success came batting down at No. 7. A rewarding England Lions tour of Sri Lanka has smoothed away a few more rough edges and Lancashire will be eager to see proof of that in all three forms of the game from a batsman whose impressive power can turn a game in a trice. Lions coach Andy Flower, not a man giving to exaggeration, says he has seen few people strike the ball harder.

Bright young thing
Mahmood, a former England U-19 fast bowler, has appeared in this section before, and with several attempts to strengthen their fast-bowling stocks from outside the county coming to naught, Lancashire's need for him to impress is now more pressing. Mahmood bowls with good pace and a low, whippy action and made his Championship debut on a flat pitch against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl last August. He also joined England's Pace Performance squad in South Africa in the winter and featured in the recent North v South series.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
Lancashire were tipped for relegation by some when they won the Championship in 2011 so assessing their chances is not always a simple task, but they do not immediately have the look of trophy winners. Survival in Division One will not be straightforward unless they get another early-season flyer when Anderson is around. David Hopps

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship, Div 2: 14-1; NatWest Blast 12-1; Royal London Cup 14-1

Last season:
Championship: 1st Div 1; NatWest Blast: QF; Royal London Cup: 6th South Group
In:
Out: Andrew Balbirnie (released), Max Holden (loan, Northants), James Harris (loan, Kent), Harry Podmore (short-term loan, Glamorgan), Cameron Steel (Durham)
Overseas: Brendon McCullum (NZ, T20), Adam Voges (Aus)

2016 in a nutshell
Memories of Middlesex's first Championship win in 23 years are still fresh more than six months later. Their winner-takes-all victory against Yorkshire at Lord's, with Somerset looking on from Taunton and hoping for a draw that in turn would give them the title, was a great advert for the Championship at a time when English cricket's debate lies elsewhere. That triumph was based upon a formidable batting line-up with six players averaging more than 40, led by opening bat Nick Gubbins who won England Lions recognition. Fortunately for Middlesex, the sleepy Lord's pitches awoke just in time to give them two late victories, but it was away wins against their two closest rivals that swung it. Their NatWest Blast form was better, even with Brendon McCullum under-achieving and Eoin Morgan largely absent, although a convincing quarter-final defeat against the eventual winners, Northants, was a meek way to exit.

2017 prospects
Middlesex are capable of another excellent season. To retain the title, their pace bowling will have to be up to the task and a bit of help from Lord's would not go amiss. They lose Tim Murtagh to Ireland in early season, but England Lion Tom Helm has considerable promise, James Fuller will also have benefited from his Lions involvement and Harry Podmore could also kick on. If the title challenge runs out of steam, expect their strongest NatWest Blast campaign for years as Daniel Vettori, brought in as a specialist T20 coach, attempts to finally unlock the potential of a side not short of T20 ability.

In charge
Angus Fraser found Middlesex languishing in the middle of Division Two of the Championship when he was appointed as director of cricket in 2009. Seven years of hard graft later, with prima donnas phlegmatically and determinedly dispensed with and good habits ingrained, he supervised a Middlesex title win that had traditional virtues at its core. Celebratory hangovers had not even kicked in before Fraser challenged Middlesex to repeat it. James Franklin retains the captaincy of the Specsavers and Royal London sides, with Brendon McCullum taking charge of the first nine T20 matches before handing over to Dawid Malan for the remainder. Middlesex also took advantage of the Blast returning to a block by awarding a three-year deal to Vettori, who can add to his CV as head coach of Brisbane Heat and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Key player
Toby Roland-Jones' hat-trick in the final session of the season completed Middlesex's Championship triumph and his indefatigable seam bowling, often on unresponsive Lord's surfaces, sustained them throughout, with 54 wickets (and an impressive 84 in all competitions). His dangerous late-order hitting also reawakened the final day of a match against Yorkshire at Scarborough that had seemed destined for a draw. With Middlesex's seam bowling slightly understaffed for a title-winning side, more of the same will be welcome in 2017.

Bright young thing
Helm's ill luck with injuries meant that he was just relieved to complete England Lions' tour of Sri Lanka in one piece, but he was also one of the successes of the trip, managing to browbeat pace and bounce at times from Sri Lanka's placid pitches. He deserves an injury-free summer and, if he gets it, Middlesex's tilt at a second successive title will be all the stronger for it.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
A top-two Championship finish is well within Middlesex's capabilities but, as much as Fraser will view that as the No. 1 priority, it is the arrival of Vettori which is most intriguing. Great T20 nights have been more common south of the river at Surrey but, if Vettori can transform the likes of Ollie Rayner, Nathan Sowter and Ravi Patel into T20 slow-bowling stalwarts, then Middlesex might be about to join the party. David Hopps

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship Div 1 7-2; NatWest Blast 11-1; Royal London Cup 12-1

Last season:
Championship: 2nd Div 1; NatWest Blast: 9th South Group; Royal London Cup: Semi-Final

In: Steven Davies (Surrey), George Bartlett, Ben Green
Out: Chris Rogers (retired), Alex Barrow (released)
Overseas: Dean Elgar (SA)

2016 in a nutshell
Mixed. They came tantalisingly close to that much-anticipated first Championship title - they eventually fell four points short of Middlesex after what some viewed as a controversial run-chase in the final match against Yorkshire at Lord's - and enjoyed a good run to the semi-final stage of the Royal London Cup. But they won fewer games than any other side in the NatWest Blast and saw the progress of some of their highly-talented young players - particularly Jamie Overton who, to be fair, was good before a back problem laid him low, and Tom Abell - stall just a little due to injury and loss of form. That they enjoyed such a successful Championship season was, to a large part, a reflection of the ability of their spinners to exploit helpful Taunton surfaces (four of their six of their wins were at home; they also enjoyed a notable one in Leeds) and some heavy run-scoring from two of the finest batsmen the club has ever produced: Marcus Trescothick and James Hildreth. Peter Trego and Chris Rogers also made 1,000 runs in the Championship season. Most of all, though, it was about Jack Leach claiming 65 Division One wickets - only Jeetan Patel took more - and helping Somerset recover from a start in which they won only one of their first nine games (and that by one wicket after the last three batsmen, one of which was Leach, added 64 for victory) to a breathlessly tight finish to the season. There were few, if any, grumbles about his action at the time, so it was quite a shock when it was found to be illegal during ECB testing at the end of the season.

2017 prospects
There's no reason Somerset shouldn't challenge again. While Chris Rogers has retired, Dean Elgar replaces him at the top of the order and will open with Trescothick. Abell may benefit from a move down to No.3 and Steven Davies, recruited from Surrey, will fill the No. 5 position - a problem in 2016 - and keep wicket at the start of the Championship season, at least. Ryan Davies is likely to gain keeping opportunities at some stage, though. With the Overtons, Lewis Gregory, Leach et al, they have a nicely balanced (and locally developed) attack, with Jim Allenby and Peter Trego adding all-round depth. T20 overseas signings are likely to follow, but there no reason Somerset shouldn't improve sharply in that format with Steven Davies moving up the order in the white-ball formats. It is anticipated that Taunton's wickets may well again provide some assistance to spinners but, after years when the county ground was a bowlers' nightmare (and bearing in mind England's record in turning conditions) that may well be no bad thing.

In charge
The promotion of Tom Abell to captaincy in the Championship is something of a risk. While there's no doubting his talent, his returns in 2016 - he averaged 25.61 in the Championship, finding some form in the latter part of the season - suggest he is still in the developmental stage of his career. Aged 23, why wouldn't he be? So the added responsibility may be the making of him, or it could be a burden he could do without. Either way, it was a bold move to give him the leadership at such a young age. Matthew Maynard remains as the coach, with Rogers back in a role as batting coach until the end of June. Allenby continues as limited-overs captain, with Jason Kerr as assistant coach and bowling coach.

Key player
When Leach struggled on the Lions tour - he was left out of the first unofficial Test in Sri Lanka and proved expensive in the second - it was feared that he may be having difficulty adjusting to his remodelled action. Evidence since, such as in pre-season games in the UAE, suggests he is growing more comfortable with it, but whether he has fully recovered remains to be seen. As the man who gave Somerset their attacking edge in 2016, his success may go some way to defining their season.

Bright young thing
There's quite a choice in this category for Somerset. Abell, aged 23, is a fine, locally developed player and George Bartlett, just 19 and good enough to score 179 in the recent Under-19 Test in Nagpur, may follow him into the side soon. Dominic Bess, the teenage offspinner who took his 13 Championship wickets at a cost of 10.46 apiece, is promising, while Craig Overton already looks a terrific allround cricketer who, aged 22, is pretty much a senior player. But it remains his brother Jamie who has the higher ceiling as a cricketer. Capable of bowling with the pace required for Test level, he also has ability with the bat and in the field. If he can retain his fitness - and he is understood to have had an encouraging winter on that score - he is really is the sort of player who could make a difference in an away Ashes series.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
There's quite a lot going right at Taunton at present. The club is developing (with significant help from Devon) good young players who promise to support the more experienced spine of Trescothick, Trego and Hildreth (all of whom can again be claimed as local) in competitive campaigns across all formats. Yes, there is support from some South African-born players, but Somerset is proof that a smaller ground can produce players, compete and sustain itself financially. Somerset also host a T20I between England and South Africa (June 23) and expect to sell out their Blast tickets. Many clubs could learn from their example. George Dobell

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship: 8-1; NatWest Blast 12-1; Royal London Cup 12-1

Last season:
Championship: 5th Div 1; NatWest Blast: 5th South Group; Royal London Cup: Final
In: Scott Borthwick, Mark Stoneman (both Durham), Kevin Pietersen (T20)
Out: Steven Davies (Somerset), Gary Wilson (Derbyshire), James Burke (loan, Leicestershire), Azhar Mahmood (released)
Overseas: Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Aaron Finch (Aus, T20).

2016 in a nutshell
After seven games of the Championship season, things looked grim for Surrey. They were bottom of the table with four losses and no wins and they had a glut of injuries to their seamers, in particular. But the depth of their squad helped them to a run of three wins in four and a mid-table finish. They started slowly in the Royal London Cup, too, losing three of their first four games. But then they won their last three completed games to progress to the knock-out stages. A masterful century from Kumar Sangakkara sealed the quarter-final but, for the second year in succession, they produced a lame performance in the final at Lord's. They failed to qualify for the knock-out stages of T20 - a major disappointment for a well-resourced squad with a huge support base - but, on the whole, this was an encouraging season for a newly promoted side containing many developing players.

2017 prospects
There is no reason Surrey should not seriously compete in all three formats. In Mark Stoneman, who will open, and Scott Borthwick, they have recruited two fine, highly-motivated top-order players from Durham who will strengthen the batting considerably. With Mark Footitt, Stuart Meaker and the Curran brothers fit and firing, they have a nicely balanced seam attack, with Matt Dunn too good to endure a second poor season in succession. And while they will miss Jason Roy for much of the Royal London Cup, a Blast top four of Finch, Roy, Kevin Pietersen and, for a while, Sangakkara is mouthwatering. Another overseas T20 signing is also anticipated. Jade Dernbach remains, whatever his England record, one of the best white-ball bowlers in the land and in Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty they have a spin attack deemed good enough to have played Test cricket in recent months. It's a strong squad of which much is expected. But the level of expectation is always a burden at one of the few clubs where the salary cap is an issue.

In charge
It's not so long since Alec Stewart was director of cricket at a club in Division Two. And, in a league in which 25% of the teams will be relegated, Stewart will be desperately keen to demonstrate the progress the club has made with, at worst, a season without any relegation worries. Batty continues as captain, though Rory Burns is expected to deputise at times, with Michael di Venuto the head coach who has lured Stoneman, a player much in his image, to The Oval.

Key player
Burns is not one of the most high-profile Surrey players, but he is among the most valuable. A solid opening batsman - he was the club's highest run-scorer in the Championship last year - he is also likely to win more opportunity as keeper now that Steven Davies and Gary Wilson have moved elsewhere. He remains very much Ben Foakes' deputy but, over a long season, opportunities are likely to arise. Most importantly, though, Burns is also the club's vice-captain. And with Batty, the captain, unlikely to play every game - on early season pitches, the spin-bowling duties may well be fulfilled by Ansari - Burns could be in charge rather more than anticipated. It's not impossible he could end up opening, keeping and captaining in some matches.

Bright young thing
Foakes had to wait a while for an opportunity - being understudy to James Foster will do that to a young keeper - but, given his chance at Surrey in 2016, he more than lived up to expectations. While he is not quite, at this stage, the finished article, he is the natural successor to keepers such as Foster and Chris Read: good with his hands and his feet, only Tim Ambrose completed more Championship dismissals. In a world of pretenders, he is the real thing. He can really bat, too. He averaged over 40 in the Championship and nearly 50 in the Royal London Cup. He might well be England's next Test keeper. Dominic Sibley, who may well bat at No. 6 in the Championship side, is another worth following.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
It is true there have been times in recent years when - for understandable reasons - Surrey may have failed to strike a balance between development and recruitment. Leaving aside the birthplace argument for now, they appear to have a pleasing balance of home-grown talent (Sibley, Burns, Meaker, Ansari, Roy, Dunn, the Currans et al) and recruited (Foakes, Sangakkara, Batty, Borthwick, Stoneman et al) that can both challenge for trophies and fulfil their brief for developing England players. They should challenge in all formats. George Dobell

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship: 5-1; NatWest Blast 9-1; Royal London Cup 15-2

Last season:
Championship: 6th Div 1; NatWest Blast: 6th North Group; Royal London Cup: Winners
In: Olly Stone (Northamptonshire), Grant Elliott (Kolpak)
Out: Varun Chopra (Essex), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Richard Jones (Leicestershire), Recordo Gordon, Jonathan Webb, Freddie Coleman (all released)
Overseas: Jeetan Patel (NZ), Colin de Grandhomme (NZ, T20)

2016 in a nutshell
Most clubs would be pretty content with a season that brought a trophy and mid-table Division One finish. But not Warwickshire. Concluding - not without some justification - that the Royal London success "papered over cracks", the club sacked their director of cricket, Dougie Brown, and replaced him with Ashley Giles at the end of the season. It is true that Brown had lost the confidence of some senior players, but those players might have done well to reflect on their own performances, too. The batting, in particular, was oddly fragile (Ian Bell averaged a modest 33.90 and Sam Hain failed to deliver on his obvious promise in the Championship by averaging 22.75) but a fall-out between Brown and former captain, Varun Chopra, saw the club stubbornly refuse to pick him in white-ball competitions and led to his inevitable departure at the end of the season. Laurie Evans, frustrated at his lack of red-ball opportunities, was granted a release from his contract a year early. The bowling, led by Keith Barker's swing and Jeetan Patel's spin, was more impressive, while in limited-overs cricket Rikki Clarke continued to bowl well. If the highlight of their season was the Royal London Cup win - a victory built on the sort of old-fashioned approach of which Jonathan Trott is the master - the biggest disappointment was failure to qualify for the knockout stages of the Blast due, on the whole, to the failure of the batsmen to support the good work of the bowlers.

2017 prospects
This could be a tough year for Warwickshire. With an ageing side and few players coming through - at least in the immediate sense - they look heavily reliant upon the likes of Trott, Bell, Barker and Patel, none of whom are under 30 and three of whom will be 35 or over by mid-April. The T20 batting line-up, in particular, looks light, with the loss of Evans particularly significant. Their best chance of success probably comes in the Royal London Cup, which will again be played on the sort of early season surfaces that may favour the method Warwickshire demonstrated in 2016. Patel will be absent on Champions Trophy duty for the knockout stages, though, and it also seems unlikely the club will see much of Chris Woakes (England duty) or Olly Stone (injury) for much of the season. There are also questions over the availability of Boyd Rankin (who has a bad back) and Ian Westwood (foot injury) at the start of the season and who will open the batting in the Championship.

In charge
No one can accuse Giles of seeking an easy ride with his decision to return to Edgbaston. While some supporters have suggested the appointment of so many former Warwickshire players to the coaching staff suggests an element of cosiness, it is more likely that Giles has been appointed to shake things up and drive change. Improving the production line of talent has to be one priority, though intelligent recruitment will be another - expect him to target young or "broken" players at other counties. Neither is likely to bring immediate results. Jim Troughton is the first team coach. It is a big promotion, but he is calm and consistent and appears to have the respect of all involved. Insiders suggest the dressing room environment is already improved on recent years. Bell remains as captain across all formats.

Key player
Bell is the key man at Edgbaston. Now with a coaching team he feels will help create the desired environment, Warwickshire must hope he can concentrate more on his on-field responsibilities. In particular, they desperately need his runs this year. He is far too good to be averaging in the early 30s and, if he does so again, there is a fair chance his side will be playing in Division Two next year.

Bright young thing
Hain isn't just the obvious choice in this category, he is almost the only choice. He had a good Royal London campaign last year, but can improve markedly on his Championship returns. Alex Mellor, who is 25 but has hardly started his career, may well open the batting in the Championship and could have a breakthrough season, while Sunny Singh is a left-arm spinner who caught the attention of Giles in pre-season nets and has quickly been promoted to the first-team squad. The likes of Mark Adair and Aaron Thomason, two young cricketers with something about them, are likely to win opportunities in white-ball cricket, too.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
This could be the start of a painful transitional period for Warwickshire. While they remain, at full strength, a strong team, the absence of experienced support suggests there may be some tricky moments this summer. Expectations should be tempered. Survival in Division One would probably represent a decent campaign.George Dobell

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship: 11-2; NatWest Blast 12-1; Royal London Cup 9-1

Last season:
Championship: Runners-up Div 1; NatWest Blast: SF; Royal London Cup: SF In: Azeem Rafiq
Out: Andrew Gale
Overseas: Peter Handscomb (Aus), Travis Head (Aus, T20)

2016 in a nutshell
For much of the season, Yorkshire were in contention not just for a third successive Championship, but also a coveted treble in all three formats. Instead, they ended up with nothing. As well as their defeat to Middlesex on the last day of the season with the Championship at stake, they lost in the semi-finals on NatWest Blast finals day when only Adam Lyth made much of a fist of a target of 157 and went out at the same stage in the Royal London Cup as Steve Davies' hundred spearheaded Surrey's victory. In the Championship, Lyth and Alex Lees were strong up top, but the middle-order failed repeatedly. Jack Brooks' 60 wickets was a tally unmatched by Division One pace bowlers and Ryan Sidebottom strove as valiantly as ever, while Tim Bresnan had a redoubtable summer with bat and ball, all concluded with his unavailing 143 against Middlesex at Lord's, to underline his popularity within the county.

2017 prospects
Yorkshire should challenge strongly again in all competitions, but they do have vulnerabilities. They have immediately been exposed in the Championship by Brooks' absence from the first month because of a calf injury. That puts the onus elsewhere. Sidebottom will want a final hurrah in his last season, but Liam Plunkett and David Willey had a joint tally of only 19 Championship wickets in 12 matches last season, and Willey, whose much-trumpeted arrival at Yorkshire has so far been a bit of a dud, is recovering from a shoulder operation. Matt Fisher has huge potential but hamstring and groin injuries demand he is used conservatively until his resilience is proven. England's withdrawal of Jonny Bairstow from early games (even though he was free to enter the IPL auction - work out the logic in that) will ask also questions of the middle order, although the prospect of Australian Peter Handscomb at No. 3, followed by Gary Ballance, means the pressing issues are at No 5. Travis Head will expect to make a bigger impact as he returns for the NatWest Blast.

In charge
Andrew Gale steps up from captain to first-team coach as Yorkshire put faith in their own, a similar decision to that over the Pennines with Lancashire handing the coach's role to Glen Chapple. It will be intriguing to see how Gale's passionate and demanding leadership style translates, but his retirement was judiciously timed and, like Chapple, he has the advantage of being highly respected within the county. Ballance, Gale's choice as captain, still harbours hopes of an England return, but as long as he commits himself fully to the role it can prove to be a good decision. All overseen by the wise counsel of director of cricket Martyn Moxon, who may keep a closer eye on first-team affairs until the new team bed in.

Key player
Much will rest with Ballance as Yorkshire seek to rid themselves of last summer's disappointment. A prolific season with the bat would offset Yorkshire's middle-order issues in the Championship and, with a few injury concerns around, he will need to manage his pace bowling resources shrewdly. Man-management skills will involve getting the best out of Lees, who he replaces as captain in the limited-overs formats after only one season, and Adil Rashid, whose eyes will be on Champions Trophy success and whose relationship with Gale had its ups and downs.

Bright young thing
Most eyes will be on Fisher, with good reason, but Matthew Waite's appetite for the fray, whether with bat and ball, created an excellent impression during two high-pressure limited-overs matches in 2016 - a quarter-final victory against Glamorgan in the NatWest Blast and in the Royal London Cup semi-final defeat against Surrey at Headingley. Such are the advantages, the Yorkshire dressing room will testify, of learning how to put his contact lenses in the right way round. Waite, a former Yorkshire Academy captain, is a combative seamer and lower-middle order batsman and seamer and should make further progress over 20 and 50 overs this summer.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
Yorkshire look bound for a top-three finish in the Championship, but a third title in four years will depend on finding a winning blend in a pace attack that is heavily stocked with over-30s. With a new £32m stand to fund - negotiations, although delicate, seem to be reaching fruition - they also need the sort of NatWest Blast season that pulls in big crowds for more than just the Roses match. David Hopps

Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship Div 1 11-5; NatWest Blast 9-1; Royal London Cup 13-2