One-Day Cup U23 Team of the Tournament – The Young stars who shone in 2026

And then there were two. A fascinating Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign will reach its conclusion in just over one month’s time as Leicestershire and Middlesex go head-to-head at Trent Bridge for the second silverware of the county season.

The knockout stages had plenty to live up to after the thrilling conclusion to the group stages and they did not disappoint, with a miraculous Notts recovery at York in the quarter-finals, followed by two superb semi-finals on Sunday as Luke Hollman staged a dramatic Middlesex fightback at Radlett and Leicestershire held off an in-form Notts in front of their jubilant home faithful.

The competition continues to play out in the shadows of The Hundred without more than 100 of the leading domestic players, though once again it has provided a platform for a number of younger players to step up in front of strong crowds across the country.

Here is an XI of the best-performing players from this year’s edition under the age of 23.

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1. Noah Thain (Essex)

• Runs: 571
• Average: 71.37
• 50s: 4
• 100s: 2
• High Score: 109

Perhaps the surprise package of the group stages, Essex’s Noah Thain embraced a new role at the top of the order and flourished as the competition’s leading run-scorer across the group stage phase.

The 21-year-old had previously never scored a professional century until he went back-to-back against Sussex and Hampshire at the end of July, whilst he also added consistency with four further scores in the seventies.

A member of England’s U19 World Cup squad in 2024 and one of a number of academy graduates to establish themselves in the Essex squad, Thain recently signed a new deal at the club on the eve of the competition and quickly showcased the “enormous potential” referenced by director of cricket Chris Silverwood.

2. Charlie Tear (Sussex)

• Runs: 379
• Average: 47.37
• 50s: 1
• 100s: 2
• High Score: 118

Wicketkeeper Charlie Tear was a rare bright spark at the top of the order in an otherwise dismal campaign for crisis club Sussex, who won just one of their eight games.

The 22-year-old, capped 28 times in white-ball cricket for Scotland, scored his maiden professional century in this competition last year and added two more to his name this time around with 118 at Durham and 111 against Hampshire – both of which came at a strike rate in excess of 100.

He also top-scored with a run-a-ball 73 to set the platform for Sussex’s solitary victory away at Essex.

Like Thain, Tear was also rewarded with a call-up to the Professional County Club Select XI that recently faced Pakistan at Beckenham.

3. Adam Thomas (Surrey)

• Runs: 350
• Average: 58.33
• 50s: 3
• 100s: 0
• High Score: 83*

Adam Thomas had already announced himself with a century in both the One-Day Cup last year and on County Championship debut in May but the 20-year-old solidified his talent with a productive campaign for a depleted Surrey side.

It was a superb start to the group stages with three consecutive half-centuries, two of which being similar unbeaten knocks of 82 and 83 against Lancashire and Northants respectively to guide his side home in successful chases.

That would be as good as it got for Thomas, though he did still contribute two scores in the forties and also offered some useful overs of medium pace with figures of 2-35 in the win over Kent.

4. Hamza Shaikh (Leicestershire)

• Runs: 509
• Average: 84.83
• 50s: 2
• 100s: 2
• High Score: 104*

What a shrewd piece of business this could prove to be from Leicestershire, bringing highly-rated batter Hamza Shaikh across the Midlands from Warwickshire in search of more first-team opportunities.

And the 20-year-old made an immediate impact for his new side, scoring an unbeaten century in his second appearance as the Foxes beat Surrey, before making two further scores in the nineties against Lancashire and Kent amid a run of solid starts.

He saved his most important contribution when it mattered most though in the semi-final at Grace Road against neighbours Notts Outlaws with 104 off 109 balls, accelerating through the gears towards his three figures as he propelled the hosts to an ultimately match-winning total of 303.

5. Vansh Jani (Warwickshire)

• Runs: 374
• Average: 62.33
• 50s: 0
• 100s: 4
• High Score: 98

From a former Warwickshire prospect to a very current one in 21-year-old batter Vansh Jani, who produced a breakthrough run of form in the second half of the campaign which has seen him earn a new contract at Edgbaston.

A product of the South Asian Cricket Academy, Jani scored 165 runs in his debut One-Day Cup campaign for the club last year and improved on that significantly with four half-centuries in the space of five innings, only narrowly missing out on his first professional hundred when he was dismissed for 98 in their final game against Kent.

His runs also came out a very healthy strike rate of 106.55 – higher than any batter with more than 350 runs – and a total of 12 sixes was only bettered by Andrew Neal (18), Ben Geddes (16), Hamza Shaikh and Alex Horton (both 13).

6. Alex Horton (Glamorgan)

• Runs: 334
• Average: 41.75
• 50s: 2
• 100s: 1
• High Score: 122*

There is a conveyor belt of Welsh talent coming out of Glamorgan, with keeper Alex Horton well and truly at the heart of it as the likely long-term successor to veteran gloveman Chris Cooke.

It was a challenging competition for Glamorgan, who operated with an extremely inexperienced side, though it was two of their young lads who shone in the opener as Horton and Jack Hope-Bell (19) both struck maiden centuries in a stunning 240-run partnership against Sussex.

Runs were inconsistent for the remainder of the group stages but valiant efforts of 81 at Repton School against Derbyshire and 85 at home to Essex in lost causes demonstrated his ball-striking ability.

7. Ekansh Singh (Kent)

• Runs: 186
• Average: 31.00
• Wickets: 12
• Bowling Average: 26.58
• Economy: 5.80

At a time when England’s seam bowling all-rounder depth is under the microscope, it is exciting to see the emergence of one in the form of 20-year-old Ekansh Singh at Kent.

It was by no means a standout campaign in terms of numbers but there were solid contributions throughout, notably his 20-ball 40 to help defeat Somerset in a thriller at Taunton and a career-best 4-40 with the ball in a victory over Notts. 

Singh made his England Lions debut against South Africa earlier in the year, scoring an impressive 95 in the second four-day match, and is certainly a name to keep an eye on over the coming years.

8. Fateh Singh (Worcestershire)

• Wickets: 15
• Bowling Average: 26.86
• Economy: 6.16
• Best Figures: 6-32

From one Singh to another.

There were not too many domestic spinners featuring among the leading wicket-takers in the competition which makes Worcestershire’s Fateh Singh a standout performer in his craft.

The 22-year-old left-armer has enjoyed a positive period few months in the side, claiming a maiden five-fer in the most recent County Championship fixture against Gloucestershire in June, snaring five wickets in two T20 Blast games at the end of the group stages and leading the way with the ball for Worcestershire in the One-Day Cup.

His campaign highlight was undoubtedly returning a remarkable 6-32 in the opener at New Road, dismantling the Derbyshire middle order, whilst he also held his nerve in the very next game in the midst of some powerful Hampshire lower order hitting to secure a narrow victory for the 2025 champions.

9. Luke Robinson (Durham)

• Wickets: 14
• Bowling Average: 27.64
• Economy: 5.36
• Best Figures: 3-44

Seamer Luke Robinson made his Championship debut at Lord’s in May and enjoyed his first extended run in the side during the One-Day Cup, in what was a strong Durham side that reached the semi-final stages.

Taking the new-ball ahead of Ben Stokes, the 22-year-old impressed with 3-44 in their opening victory at Derbyshire and only went wicket-less on one occasion in nine games.

Only three seamers got more overs under their belt throughout the campaign than Robinson, who saw his early career stall with injury in 2024, but could now see himself in the frame to make his mark in the County Championship run-in.

10. Alex Green (Leicestershire)

• Wickets: 18
• Bowling Average: 19.94
• Economy: 5.79
• Best Figures: 4-40

Alex Green, the breakout star of the 2025 One-Day Cup, was at it once again, snaring the second-most wickets with 18 for the second campaign running.

The imposing England U19 quick improved on both his average and economy rate this time around and whilst he could not add to his three five-wicket hauls last year, showed a much greater level of consistency with at least one wicket in each of his eight appearances.

His best performance (4-40) came in the semi-final win over Notts with crucial lower-order dismissals in the final ten overs to halt the visitors’ progress.

Left-armer Josh Hull had his moment in the spotlight to secure the title for the Foxes in dramatic style at Trent Bridge three years ago and Green will be hoping for something similar next month.

11. Naavya Sharma (Middlesex)

• Wickets: 17
• Bowling Average: 18.88
• Economy: 4.96
• Best Figures: 4-29

The contest in Nottingham on September 20 pits two exciting pace prospects against one another, with Naavya Sharma among the leading performers in Middlesex’s somewhat unexpected run to a first shot at a white-ball trophy since 2008.

Possessing a more traditional new-ball skillset than Green, the 20-year-old has quickly established himself as a Championship regular for Middlesex this season and has now made further strides in his debut List A campaign with two four-wicket hauls in the group stages against Glamorgan and Durham, as well as producing a superb opening spell in the semi-final at Radlett.

Sharma made his England Lions debut against South Africa in May and is one of an emerging crop of quick bowlers at Middlesex, alongside Noah Cornwell and Seb Morgan.

Notable mentions

Nathan Fernandes, 22 (Middlesex)

• Runs: 380
• Average: 42.22
• 50s: 1
• 100s: 1
• High Score: 112

Josh Thomas, 21 (Somerset)

• Runs: 331
• Average: 47.28
• 50s: 0
• 100s: 3
• High Score: 97*

Rocky Flintoff, 18 (Lancashire)

• Runs: 315
• Average: 63.00
• 50s: 1
• 100s: 1
• High Score: 123

Will Bennison, 19 (Yorkshire)

• Runs: 295
• Average: 32.77
• 50s: 0
• 100s: 3
• High Score: 91

Mackenzie Jones, 21 (Essex)

• Wickets: 15
• Bowling Average: 26.06
• Economy: 6.23
• Best Figures: 3-43

Tom Ealham, 22 (Surrey)

• Wickets: 9
• Bowling Average: 38.88
• Economy: 5.64
• Best Figures: 3-37

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