Six of England's brightest emerging talents have been shortlisted for the LV= Breakthrough Player award.
Yorkshire's Jack Leaning, Sussex's Ollie Robinson, Gloucestershire's Craig Miles, Surrey's Tom Curran, Nottinghamshire's Luke Wood and Lancashire's Alex Davies have been selected by a panel of experts including England and Wales Cricket Board performance director David Parsons, Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie and former England batsman Mark Butcher.
They will be joined by two more 'wild card' picks in August before a public vote determines the winner.
England vice-captain Joe Root, who picked up the inaugural award in 2012, hailed the calibre of the field, which rewards the best championship newcomers aged 23 and under.
"The talent in this country is getting better and better as you can tell by this year's LV= Breakthrough Player Award shortlist," Root said.
"I think it's great that the new crop of younger players are starting to come through.
"The LV= County Championship helped me massively. It's a breeding ground for international cricket players and I was lucky to learn from some of the best in the system."
Source: PA
