Bell-Drummond earns North v South place
Kent Spitfires opener Daniel Bell-Drummond has earned automatic selection for the 2018 North v South series, featuring the best county cricketers in the country.
The 23-year-old batsman scored 443 runs in eight appearances including two centuries and two half-centuries.
The top four England-qualified players in the rankings from both the North and South groups will be offered places in the North-South Series, which will again be watched closely by the England selectors and management in their planning for the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Hampshire captain James Vince, who led the South to their 2017 triumph, has qualified automatically this year, and the other two invitations have been earned by Essex Eagles duo Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara.
Durham’s Keaton Jennings, Sam Hain of Warwickshire and Yorkshire captain Gary Ballance are in the frame to join Thakor in the North squad – again, providing there are no clashes with any England commitments.
The 13-man North and South squads will be finalised by the England selectors at the end of the season, with dates and venues to be confirmed soon.