England watch: Jamie Smith and James Rew hit the ground running in the County Championship

The return of the County Championship bears significance in its own right, but once again, conversations around the relationship between the domestic circuit and the international setup are at the forefront, as England set about a new phase under the leadership of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes following the Ashes disappointment.

This time feels different at least, with reassurances made around the spotlight on performances in county cricket, though as ever, the true extent of that will be made apparent with time.

A number of England’s big guns were not involved in the opening round of the season, but some of the Ashes squad members did feature, whilst players on the outside began to press their case ahead of the international summer.

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Smith and Rew ton up in battle for the wicketkeeper spot

It proved to be a difficult first Ashes experience for Jamie Smith, whose technique was exposed and his glovework questioned.

The 25-year-old holds an impressive Test average in excess of 40 since his debut in 2024, but like many struggled Down Under with 211 runs in ten innings and just one half-century.

Smith reportedly turned down an IPL replacement gig to focus on his red-ball form and began the season in style at Edgbaston in an elevated position at no.3, striking a classy 132 from 261 balls in the second innings to help Surrey salvage a draw against Warwickshire on what became an increasingly batter-friendly pitch.

He will be hoping to hang on to his place in the England side, but Somerset’s James Rew is becoming increasingly harder to ignore.

Superbly judged century

The 22-year-old registered his 12th First-Class hundred of his career as Somerset played out a high-scoring draw against defending champions Nottinghamshire, to go along with his 13th half-century on day one of the contest.

A superbly judged 122 from 184 balls also at no.3, the left-hander now holds a career average of 42.28 in red-ball cricket and it only feels a matter of time until he makes the step up for his Test debut, having previously been called into the squad against Zimbabwe and shown his quality for the Lions.

Whether there is a place for both Smith and Rew in the same Test XI appears unlikely at this stage, but perhaps cannot be ruled out given the talent of the pair.

Many believe Ben Foakes should still be in the conversation and he did his chances no harm either, with a crucial 128 on day one to rescue Surrey from deep trouble at 65-6.

Crawley dismissed cheaply by an England teammate…twice

It was not the start to the season opener Zak Crawley would have been hoping for, with pressure mounting around his Test future.

Crawley played a typically glorious cover drive early in his second innings but was soon pinned in front by England bowler Matthew Potts for the second time in the match, ending with scores of just 9 and 20 in Kent’s storm-affected draw at Durham.

In terms of potential replacements, Crawley watched on as Durham’s Emilio Gay recorded the first century of the season, whilst another England Lions batter, Tom Haines, raced to fifty on the opening morning at Leicester.

Elsewhere, Nottinghamshire skipper Haseeb Hameed made 33 and 27 at Taunton, whilst highly-rated Glamorgan opener Asa Tribe faced a difficult introduction to Division One cricket with two low scores against Yorkshire.

It was a similar story for Ollie Pope, who lost his place in the England side during the Ashes defeat, as he too fell victim lbw to the same bowler – in this case Warwickshire’s Ethan Bamber – for 20 and 16.

Robinson stakes his claim

The make-up of England’s seam attack will also be a huge talking point in the build-up to the New Zealand Test series, with the general consensus identifying a need for a Chris Woakes-esque new ball bowler, rather than the one-dimensional and pace-heavy tactic adopted in Australia.

Sussex captain Ollie Robinson has been tipped for a return to the Test arena after more than two years away and provided a reminder of his skill with a five-wicket haul in the first innings – which included the crucial wicket of Australia’s Jake Weatherald – to strengthen the visitors’ grip on their encounter at Grace Road.

The 32-year-old established himself on the international stage, with 76 wickets at a highly respectable average of 22.92 and 2.75 economy rate, though he was axed due to concerns over his professionalism and will be hoping to earn another chance to regain the trust of the England hierarchy.

Matthew Potts and Matthew Fisher were the only quicks from the Ashes squad on show – Potts looking a handful with five wickets for Durham after a difficult 2025 campaign, whilst it was a challenging opening round for Surrey’s Fisher, who claimed two scalps in an innings dominated by the Warwickshire batters.

Essex’s Sam Cook was up to his usual tricks with the new ball, looking for another opportunity with England after his solitary Test appearance at the start of last summer, whilst Hampshire speedster Sonny Baker returned two wickets and Dillon Pennington proved his ability to blow away a tail in his 5-65 for Nottinghamshire.

How did others fare?

There was a battle between two of England’s brightest all-rounder prospects at Leicester as Rehan Ahmed and James Coles went head-to-head, both trying to force their way into England Test contention.

Ahmed scored 45 runs and took four wickets, whilst Coles was unable to convert two promising starts into an innings of note, though he did have Ahmed out stumped on the final day.

Dan Mousley is on England’s white-ball radar after making his international debut on a tour to West Indies in late 2024, though his progress in the longer format could be an exciting one to monitor this summer after the left-hander made his maiden Warwickshire century (144 off 178) at no.3 against Surrey with a commanding innings which included 25 fours.

Shoaib Bashir was unable to force a victory on his Derbyshire debut with a solitary wicket in both innings, whilst Jack Leach and Liam Dawson also had little joy.

Spin was effective in Cardiff, though, where former England internationals Mason Crane and Dom Bess were in the wickets.

Leg-spinner Crane, who has one Test appearance to his name at the end of the 2017/18 Ashes series, claimed match figures of 8-154 – including an early ball-of-the-season contender to remove George Hill – and added 51 with the bat for good measure as Glamorgan began life back in the top flight with a captivating draw against Yorkshire.

Yorkshire’s Bess has been away from the England setup since 2021, but also made an impressive start to the season with match figures of 7-129.

Young stars

Elsewhere, promising 19-year-old batter Dan Lategan produced two key innings for Worcestershire at the top of the order, though he was unfortunately run out 11 runs short of a deserved maiden First-Class century.

The South African-born left-hander is currently registered as an overseas player after a breakthrough end to last season and is highly-regarded as a potential England prospect.

In a round where experienced seamers such as James Anderson, Toby Roland-Jones and Ben Sanderson showed their class, 18-year-old Seb Morgan was a notable performer in just his fourth First-Class appearance.

The England Under-19 bowler shared the new ball with Roland-Jones – 20 years his senior – at Lord’s and claimed 4-48 in the second innings, which included the prized dismissals of Cameron Bancroft and James Bracey, as Middlesex sealed an innings victory over Gloucestershire.

Read More: The key takeaways from the opening round of the County Championships