Kent all-rounder Matt Coles is on course to secure his place in the new North v South series in the United Arab Emirates next March.

The top four England-qualified players from each region in this season’s Royal London One-Day Cup Professional Cricketers’ Association Most Valuable Player Rankings, plus the leading spinner, will be selected to play in the North v South matches, with the remaining players chosen by the England selectors who will be thinking about the strategic needs of the England team in the build-up to the next World Cup.

Today’s final round of matches in the South Group are the last opportunity for places to secure places in the South team for North v South series and Coles is currently the third highest-ranked player from the South in tenth place with 92 points.

Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson, who is second in the 50 overs competition rankings, and Somerset all-rounder Lewis Gregory, sixth on 98 points, are ahead of Coles with Somerset seamer Tim Groenewald the fourth highest-ranked England-qualified player from the South back in 15^th position.

Places in the North v South series will be confirmed by the England selectors.

The PCA and the England and Wales Cricket Board’s High Performance Centre at Loughborough have worked closely to enhance the PCA MVP formula which was first introduced in 2007.

The PCA MVP Rankings identifies the match-winners and key influencers of matches by using a formula that measures each player’s total contribution by taking into account conditions, quality of opposition, captaincy, strike rates as well as runs scored and wickets taken.

 

The Royal London Cup PCA MVP Rankings can be viewed here: http://www.thepca.co.uk/competition-rankings.html?comp_format=50OVER