Having already impressed enough to earn a call-up to the England Lions squad in Australia last winter, as well as securing an SA20 deal, Thomas Rew continued his remarkable rise for Somesrset this year. He missed the first part of the season while completing his school exams, but made his County Championship debut in May against Yorkshire. After getting a duck in his first innings, Rew had to wait another month to get his second go in the red-ball side, but didn't waste the opportunity when it came. He scored 68 in the first innings against Nottinghamshire and hit his maiden first class hundred in the second.

In the T20 format, Rew was an important part of Somerset's Blast campaign which saw them reach finals day, and secured his first Hundred deal with Southern Brave. He scored 41 off 30 on his competition debut, before he was injured out of the tournament.

18-year-old Thomas Rew scores his maiden County Championship century in just his third first-class match 💯

He remained unbeaten on 127 in the third innings against Nottinghamshire 💪#CountyChampionship pic.twitter.com/Gtd3YUt4yr

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 14, 2026

Crocombe built momentum throughout the season which saw him called-up to senior England squads for the first time. There was much speculation over which county he would sign for, with Sussex's financial difficulties making it unlikely they would be able to keep him. In the end, Surrey won the battle, and Crocombe will move from Hove to The Oval for next season.

Having been called-up to England's squad as injury cover during the New Zealand series, Crocombe made a statement later in the summer by taking hatricks in consecutive County Championship matches. Only seven players are known to have previously taken hat-tricks in successive first class matches.

Twenty-one-year-old Josh Thomas became a key cog in Somerset's top-order this summer, scoring two centuries at the back-end of the season as the county just missed out on their first red-ball title. Having made his first-class debut at the end of last year, Thomas began the season as Somerset's first choice opener and, after taking a while to get going, scored his maiden Championship hundred in May.

He was also one of Somerset's stand-out players in the One Day Cup, scoring three back-to-back half-centuries in the middle phase of the competition, starting with an unbeaten 97 off 66 balls against Gloucestershire.

Although McKinney began the season as an outside bet to win the race for England's vacant Test match opener position, this summer saw him capitalise on his promise to be one of the top run-scorers in the country. He finished the County Championship with over 1,000 runs and in third position on the Division Two run-scoring charts, as Durham secured promotion. His three centuries included a 244 against Gloucestershire in the second match of the season, with his third and final hundred of the season also being a big one – 184 against Middlesex.

Having been signed in The Hundred for the first time by Southern Brave, his county form didn't follow into the franchise competition. He played six matches in the competition, and averaged 11. Nevertheless, how well he translates his red-ball runs this year into Division One next year will be a subject of keen interest for England selectors.

– 214* (246)
– 35 fours, 3 sixes

An eye-catching innings from 21-year-old Ben McKinney on the opening day 🔥#CountyChampionship pic.twitter.com/lQOFcvrRm5

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 10, 2026

James Sales had a stand-out season with the bat in the County Championship, scoring two centuries to follow his maiden first-class ton last season. The first of those hundreds came in the early part of the season against Middlesex, when he hit 164 to stave off a collapse and keep Northants in the game. He finished the season with an average of 46.23, but it was his returns with the ball which drew attention in the T20 Blast. He took his career-best figures of 5-21 againt Gloucestershire as Northants stormed to Finals Day, before playing a key role in the final with three crucial wickets to break through Hampshire's batting lineup.

Navya Sharma, who turned 21 at the back-end of the season, topped the wicket-taking charts in the One Day Cup as part of Middlesex's first List A trophy-winning campaign since 1992. He took 3-37 in the final to complement Toby Roland-Jones' decisive spell which saw Middlesex secure the title.

He also finished the County Championship, taking 14 wickets in three games to finish the season with 37 wickets at 21.64.

Twenty-year-old Lategan showed glimpses of why he's a highly-rated top order prospect in his first full year of Championship cricket. He scored his maiden first-class century in a thrilling chase as Worcestershire beat Gloucestershire, hitting 144 as Worcestershire reached their 279-run target with less than five overs of the match to spare. Lategan finished the season with 800 runs in Division Two.

He also hit two half-century in four appearances for Worcestershire in the One Day Cup, also making his T20 Blast debut during the season.

A tall, 19-year-old quick, Green made an impact with the ball in the One Day Cup this year, finishing fourth in the wicket-taking charts as Leicestershire reached the final. He also played sporadically in Leicestershire's County Championship side, taking three wickets against Yorkshire in his first Championship appearance since 2024.

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