Champion County: A #3 shoot-out?

Date released: 1 April 2009

The MCC team for the traditional season opening match, MCC v Champion County (Durham) is unveiled with several England experienced players in the side, not least: Michael Vaughan, Robert Key and Ian Bell.

The full team is:

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In with a shout: Michael Vaughan Former England captain Michael Vaughan will reignite his love affair with 'The Home of Cricket' when he returns to Lord’s to play for MCC against Durham CCC on April 9.

Vaughan, who has scored six centuries for England at Lord’s, is one of six players in the MCC team with Test experience.

Vaughan told Lords.org in an exclusive interview he was 'aiming for Lord's' as the start of his England comeback. A strong performance in the MCC v Champion County match would be an undoubted step in the right direction.

Being picked for the traditional four-day curtain raiser against the Champion County gives players the chance to impress watching England selectors early in a season that sees the national team try to wrest back the Ashes from Australia and reverse the series loss against the West Indies.

Vying for #3 slot

Ian Bell: scored 199 on his last outing at Lord's Ian Bell, who has been vying with Owais Shah for the number three spot in England’s batting line-up will play, and he will be captained by Kent’s Robert Key, who has just returned from leading the England Lions in New Zealand.

Key’s Lions squad also included Sajid Mahmood and Stephen Moore, who will line up alongside him at Lord’s.

Essex’s James Foster will keep wicket, and will reacquaint himself with his MCC team-mate from 2008, Yorkshire’s leg spinner Adil Rashid.

The team was picked in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board and alongside the experience of the likes of Vaughan, Bell and Key, features exciting young talent.

As well as Rashid, who is with England in the West Indies, MCC’s team includes England under 19’s Chris Woakes and Steven Finn, and Durham UCCE’s Tom Westley.

The line up is completed by Worcestershire’s Kabir Ali, who enjoyed a successful 2008 season, taking 59 first class wickets at an average of 18.74.

The MCC team share 159 England Test caps between them.

Opportunity for youngsters

John Stephenson, MCC Assistant Secretary (Cricket & Estates) said: "This year’s Champion County fixture has all the ingredients to be a classic. MCC is delighted to have so many top players turning out against a Durham side that will also be full of internationals.

"It will be an excellent opportunity for the young players to show what they can do alongside established international cricketers.

Amongst the stars: Tom Westley "Graeme Fowler, who coaches at Durham UCCE, has been raving about Tom Westley, and I look forward to him scoring runs against a team captained by his predecessor at Durham UCCE, Will Smith."

England’s National Selector Geoff Miller said: "All the players in the MCC team will be hungry to prove a point to the selectors, so we are confident we will see four days of tough, hard-fought cricket.

"Every English cricketer wants to be involved with the national set-up this summer because the world’s eyes will be on England for both the npower Ashes Series and the ICC World Twenty20.

"It’s a great opportunity not just for players on the edge of the Test side to make a claim for a place, but also for the youngsters to prove the strength of under-19 and University cricket in this country."