Christian lights up the Blast

The Vitality Blast is not yet a week old and we have already been treated to some special performances from the likes of Daniel Christian, Joe Denly and Liam Livingstone.

However, it’s the Notts captain, Christian, who leads the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings after three games, as the skipper has stood up to be counted.

Scoring an unbeaten 113 off just 40 balls against Northants and following that up with an assured display against Leicestershire. He leads the way with 68 points as the Outlaws sit fourth in the North group.

Following Christian is Kent’s Denly who pulled out one of the most remarkable displays in the history of the completion against Surrey. Batting first, he scored 102 as he carried over his One-Day Cup form to the shortest format, having already won the MVP for the 50-over competition.

A T20 hundred is nothing to sniff at, but to follow it up with a hat-trick with the ball is simply incredible. The combo earned him 50 MVP points and propelled him into second position with 58 points all together from his two games.

Denly was already sitting high in the Overall MVP Rankings, but thanks to his exploits he has now overtaken Matt Henry who left Kent after an explosive stint at the start of the summer.

The MVP formula was designed by the players to identify the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic and international season.

The player who tops the overall PCA County MVP Rankings at the end of the season receives a £10,000 reward.

Trailing Christian and Denly are two of England’s brightest young talents in Livingstone and Ben Duckett. Both have been on the fringes of the national team, and it seems they are not messing about in showing what they are truly capable of.

The new Captain of the Lancashire Lightning, Livingstone, has stepped up to the mantle and looks like he enjoys the extra responsibility. On a night where Denly and Christian stole the show, Livingstone’s maiden T20 hundred flew slightly under the radar.

But make no mistake, this will settle any jitters he might have had and proved that the flashy shots and power hitting can translate into making match-winning knocks. He is third in the Blast Rankings on 54 points.

Duckett is only marginally behind the Lancashire opener with two scores of 96 and 88 still not enough to get Northants off the mark in the competition, this year.

The first ever player to become the NatWest PCA Player and NatWest Young Player of the Year in the same year in 2016 has not always had things work out in his favour since his England call-up in the winter that he rose to prominence. However, his talents have not diminished and the 23-year-old is recapturing the form that makes him such a daunting prospect to bowl at.

Just missing out on the top five is former England man, Ian Bell, but his beautiful innings during the opening game of the Vitality Blast sent a reminder of how much class this man oozes.

It was the Bell of old. Everything was calculated and timed, he never bullied the ball, he guided to any part of the ground he wanted in a match-winning 82* for the Birmingham Bears.

He currently sits just outside the top ten in the Overall County MVP Rankings, but this is a man who looks to be in great form as he hit another unbeaten 50 against Yorkshire.

To view the full Vitality Blast MVP Rankings click here.