County Championship 2025 team of the season revealed by BBC Sport readers

Nottinghamshire clinched the 2025 County Championship title as BBC Sport readers crowned their team of the season. The results underline a year of rich counterpoint across the country, with nine counties represented in an 11-man XI that features an entirely new side compared with the previous year and three players who plied their trade in Division Two this season. The final weeks of the campaign brought a memorable conclusion for Notts, with Haseeb Hameed steering proceedings and the squad delivering a championship standard of batting and bowling as the trophy finally returned to Trent Bridge.

Haseeb Hameed of Nottinghamshire was selected as opening batsman by 64% of voters, after scoring 1,258 runs at an average of 66.21, including four centuries and five half-centuries. Hameed’s century in the final-game victory over Warwickshire sealed his side’s status as champions and reinforced his reputation as one of the country’s most reliable top-order operators. The former England batter surpassed 1,000 runs for a second consecutive season, underscoring his consistency across a long campaign. His captaincy also came to the fore, with well-timed bowling changes in the pivotal win over Surrey at The Kia Oval.

Dom Sibley of Surrey was the other opening option most voters backed, accumulating 1,274 runs at 60.66 with four centuries and six half-centuries. Sibley has long been a productive run-scorer, and this season he matched that reputation while maintaining a strike rate that kept pace with the modern game. A triple century against Durham highlighted his capacity to anchor an innings and accumulate big scores when required.

In the middle order, Saif Zaib of Northamptonshire led the supporting cast with 1,387 runs at 66.04, including six centuries and six half-centuries, often rescuing a brittle Northants batting line-up. Zaib also contributed 13 wickets with his slow left-armers, underscoring his value as a genuine all-round option. Tom Abell of Somerset added 1,022 runs at 51.10 with three centuries and five half-centuries, while Marcus Harris of Lancashire passed 1,000 runs for the season, tallying 1,027 at 60.41 with three centuries and five half-centuries. Abell’s steady presence helped Somerset contend for Division One honours for much of the year, and Harris’s transition from overseas signing to a long-term county asset was a notable narrative of the season.

John Simpson of Sussex was the leading wicketkeeper, accumulating 1,086 runs at 60.33 with four centuries and four half-centuries, and he contributed 54 dismissals behind the stumps. His form helped Sussex secure Division One safety for another season, following promotion in 2024, and his unbeaten 129 in the three-day win over Worcestershire was a standout moment for a Gloving Moment.

Rehan Ahmed of Leicestershire was the standout all-rounder, delivering 760 runs at 50.66 with five centuries and adding 23 wickets at an average of 19.00. His batting firepower was a key driver for Leicestershire’s return to the County Championship’s top flight, while his bowling provided the ballast that complemented the attack. Ahmed’s performances were part of a broader trend: he has been a fixture in discussions about England’s longer-term white-ball and red-ball plans, and his 2025 season reinforced his value at county level. The next closest contenders for the all-rounder role were James Coles (Sussex) and Ed Barnard (Warwickshire), each on about 10% of the vote.

Jack Leach of Somerset was the most overwhelming choice of the entire team for the spin role, taking 52 wickets at an average of 22.78. With more than 21,000 votes separating him from the next-best spinner, Leach’s presence gave Somerset genuine balance on turning tracks and ensured that the side remained a threat even if results were tight elsewhere. He claimed four or more wickets on six occasions, including a best return of 7-69 against Hampshire, as Somerset pursued a title that ultimately eluded them but benefited from Leach’s influence across 14 Championship games.

Seam bowlers formed a powerful backbone to the XI. Kyle Abbott of Hampshire was the leading light with 56 wickets at 20.69, an ever-present threat with the new ball and a workhorse for his side even when conditions did not suit his team’s ambitions. Josh Tongue of Nottinghamshire took 31 wickets at 22.03 in a breakthrough season that followed his England Lions stint and first-class debut in 2025. Tom Taylor of Worcestershire collected 58 wickets at 22.87, offering control and penetration in bulk, while Essex's Jamie Porter narrowly missed out after securing 47% of the vote. The seam attack’s depth provided a practical blueprint for how the champion team managed to navigate a long summer.

The final selection was compiled by BBC Sport with input from England’s Alex Hoad, Gl... (statistics accurate at 0001, Saturday 27 September). The lineup reflects not only season-long excellence but also crucial moments that shaped the title race. The voting figures show Hameed’s grip at the top, Leach’s spin turning matches, and the all-round contributions from Ahmed that helped Leicestershire win promotion back to Division One for the first time in 22 years. The team’s spread across nine counties highlights the strength and depth of domestic cricket in 2025, a year in which every county contributed to a competitive, entertaining campaign.

The BBC Sport team behind the count — Hoad, Speller and Grunill — emphasized the balance of the XI, acknowledging that the selection process weighed both traditional strengths and the evolving demands of the modern game. As with every year, the team serves as a reflection of audience choices and does not stand as a formal trophy-nomination list, but rather as a snapshot of a season in which a broad cross-section of counties delivered standout individual performances. The 2025 County Championship, won by Nottinghamshire, thus closes with a sense of renewed parity across the English domestic game and a fresh sense of optimism for the seasons ahead.