Nottinghamshire 2026 County Championship Full Season Preview
- Mar 29
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 30
by Ronan Alexander & The Cricket Draft
With the cricket season fast approaching, now is the time to ensure you and your club are covered! Don’t risk the season with under insurance & outdated valuations; contact ASI, the specialist sports broker and PCA partner, to get your club or your own policy sorted before the first ball is bowled.
County Championship Values for 2026
Banker, Wildcard, Young Gun & England Watch
Banker: Fergus O’Neill (BWL) £7.8m
He was a fantastic addition at the beginning of last summer, where he collected 21 wickets in only four matches, helping him bag 228.25 points per game. This was the second-highest for anyone who played at least four games in 2025; only Chris Green at Lancashire was higher. He averaged just 17.90 with the ball and picked up two five-wicket hauls during his short stint in England. He will be looking to replicate that sort of form in 2026 and get Notts’ title defense off to a blistering start.
Wildcard: Dillon Pennington (BWL) £7.3m
With Notts playing four of their first seven matches on home soil in what were seamer-friendly conditions in 2025, Pennington could be an outside-the-box selection, given that O’Neill and Tongue will likely be more popular. He took 28 wickets in eight matches last summer, averaging 132.88 points per game, showing he can still provide those big contributions despite finishing 2025 in only 2.9% of squads.
Young Gun: Freddie McCann (BAT) £5.6m
After making his first-class debut towards the end of the 2024 summer, 2025 was a breakout year for the 20-year-old. He featured in 13 matches of Notts’ title-winning season, contributing 747 runs at an average of 37.35, which included four half-centuries and a ton. He can also chip in with some right-arm off-break and took six wickets last season. Valued at £5.3m last year and just £5.6m this year, he provides a solid budget option that could feature in every game for the Outlaws.
England Watch: Josh Tongue (BWL) £7.9m
A rare shining light of England’s dismal Ashes display in the winter, Tongue collected 18 wickets and had the best bowling average for an English player at 20.11, including a best of 5/45. That form over the three matches he featured in will certainly have him in the team this summer, so a strong start to the county season will only aid his progress. He played six matches in 2025, taking 31 wickets. His 184.5 points per game were only bettered in the seam department by his teammate, Fergus O’Neill.
Potential Starting XI for GW 1
NOTE: Fergus O'Neill may not play GW 1 due to his involvement in the Sheffield Shield Final. Ben Duckett might now be available for GW 1 after pulling out of the IPL.
2025 Review
What a memorable year for Nottinghamshire as they were crowned County Champions, finishing 16 points clear of their closest rivals, Surrey. They won seven of their 14 matches, including a crucial victory over Surrey in the penultimate game of the season, the only meeting between the two title contenders. Their sole defeat came at Chester-le-Street in May, where they lost to Durham by seven wickets.
They romped to the title with three consecutive victories at the end of the campaign to get them over the line. After going the season undefeated on home soil, Trent Bridge proved to be a stronghold; with an average first-innings score of 344 and 81% of wickets falling to pace, the likes of Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington, and Brett Hutton were attractive Cricket Draft options, alongside overseas star Fergus O’Neill.
2025 Stat Attack
Among players who featured in at least four matches, Fergus O’Neill recorded the second-highest points-per-game average, with Josh Tongue trailing closely behind.
James was Notts’ top point-scorer in 2025, amassing 1,931 points and ranking 11th among all all-rounders. His dual role, batting in the middle order and contributing to the seam attack, guarantees high match involvement and consistent point-scoring opportunities.
Freddie McCann proved to be a bargain, ranking 6th for total points among players valued at £5.5m or less.
Haseeb Hameed finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in all of county cricket with 1,258 runs. Notably, within Division One, only Dom Sibley surpassed his total.
For all-rounders valued at £7.0m or less, Liam Patterson-White secured the seventh-highest points-per-game average, while Lyndon James followed in 10th. James also finished the season with the 8th most runs among all-rounders.
Home Ground Stats
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Player Ins & Outs
Benny Howell is the only domestic arrival at Nottinghamshire ahead of the new season, with the skillful all-rounder signing a white-ball contract at Trent Bridge. Instead of further domestic signings, head coach Peter Moores has focused his recruitment on overseas talent over the winter. Fergus O’Neill returns following his fantastic stint at the club at the beginning of last summer, while Kyle Verreyne joins for the full season. Once O’Neill departs, he will be replaced by Pakistani seamer Mohammad Ali, while Peter Siddle and George Linde are set to feature for the Outlaws in T20 cricket.
In terms of departures, Calvin Harrison has made his move to Northants permanent following a highly successful loan spell. Despite his excellent 2025 campaign, Notts clearly favor the likes of Liam Patterson-White and Farhan Ahmed ahead of him in the spinning department. Wicketkeeper Dane Schadendorf has also left the club after limited opportunities, as has young batter Sam King.
2026 Fixtures
Nottinghamshire begin their title defence with a difficult trip to Somerset, where the tone of their season may well be set. This fixture is prior to then hosting newly promoted Glamorgan in gameweek two, followed by a free week. Their next four matches include three home fixtures against Warwickshire, Surrey, and Sussex, with a trip to Leicestershire in between for gameweek 5. This feels like a pivotal period, as if they win the two matches in which they are favourites and secure a positive result against Surrey, they would once again be in an incredibly strong position to launch a defence of their title you would feel.
Their only meeting with Essex comes in June, the same month they host the return fixture against Somerset. They conclude the campaign with three home fixtures in their final four games, as Leicestershire, Hampshire, and Yorkshire all travel to Trent Bridge, sandwiched around a penultimate away fixture at Hove against Sussex.
Can they do it again?
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