County Championship 2023 predictions and cricket betting tips: Lancashire a lively Division One contender

Best bet

Lancashire to win Division One
1pt each-way 11-2 Betfair

County Championship 2023 predictions

All eyes will be on the Ashes this summer, while the Oval will host the final of the World Test Championship between Australia and India, but either side of the international action, the County Championship should provide plenty of drama.

Surrey topped the Division One standings last year and are 10-3 to win a third title in six years, although they will have to make do without veteran batsman Hashim Amla, who called time on his career earlier this year, and key trio Will Jacks, Jamie Overton and Tom Curran will be unavailable for the start of the season.

To compensate for the loss of Amla, former England Test opener Dom Sibley has been drafted in, while Kemar Roach and Sean Abbott are a dangerous overseas pair, but punters should be happy to look beyond the outright favourites.

Essex are next in the betting with most bookmakers but they finished 48 points off the pace in Division One last year.

And as a typically low-scoring side, they will not be helped by the fact that the amount of runs required to score a maximum five points has been pushed up from 400 to 450 in this year's County Championship, aiming to discourage teams from creating low-scoring pitches.

No Division One side won more matches than Hampshire last season but they were reluctant to add to their red-ball squad and at 11-2, Lancashire look a better outright selection.

Although helped by victory over a Surrey team who had already won the title, Lancashire finished second last year and boasted Division One's top scorer in Keaton Jennings, who will lead them out as captain in 2023.

The bowling department should also be stronger with Saqib Mahmood available after injury and the early absences of Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt should not hurt them too much given James Anderson will be in action for the first six rounds.

In Division Two, Yorkshire will be looking to bounce back after relegation from Division One last year but are likely to be without Harry Brook for the whole season as he continues his breakthrough with England, while they are in the midst of a rebuild.

They are 13-8 in the outright betting, while Sussex are another popular selection at 9-2 with Cheteshwar Pujara leading the charge and Ollie Robinson aiming to do the damage with the ball in the season's early stages.

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