Below you can find picks for Round 3 of the County Championship season from The Stats Zone's top Cricket tipsters. All times given are based on UK start times.
Friday, April 19
Division One
Essex vs Lancashire – 11:00 BST
Hampshire vs Warwickshire - 11:00 BST
Kent vs Surrey – 11:00 BST
Somerset vs Nottinghamshire – 11:00 BST
Worcestershire vs Durham – 11:00 BST
Division Two
Derbyshire vs Leicestershire – 11:00 BST
Middlesex vs Yorkshire – 11:00 BST
Northamptonshire vs Glamorgan – 11:00 BST
Sussex vs Gloucestershire – 11:00 BST
Kent vs Surrey – 11:00 BST
Kent came perilously close to being the only county to lose in the second round of County Championship fixtures and the second team to lose since the start of the season, which has seen draws aplenty due to the unresponsive nature of the Kookaburra ball on April pitches in England. Although they managed to hang on for a draw away to Essex, Daniel Bell-Drummond’s side have flattered to deceive. Their bowling doesn’t have the depth to compete against the top bowlers and the Kent batters are likely to struggle against a Surrey bowling attack with the Dukes bowl, even with Zak Crawley back available. Therefore, back the visitors and reigning County Champions to pick up their first win of the season.
Prediction: Surrey draw no bet
Somerset vs Nottinghamshire – 11:00 BST
Nottingham have suffered the ignominy of being the only county to have been beaten across both divisions so far despite the bad weather and batter-friendly conditions. Despite having Ben Duckett available, it’s been a struggle for Notts, who’ve clearly missed Stuart Broad’s bowling following his retirement last season. Somerset meanwhile, can take real heart and confidence from their opening two draws, both away from home against Kent and Surrey respectively. At home for the first time, they are in a good place to take that next step and record a first victory of the 2024 campaign.
Prediction: Somerset draw no bet
Middlesex vs Yorkshire – 11:00 BST
Following two high-scoring draws, you’d expect a more bowler-friendly surface prepared by the Lord’s staff for Middlesex’s game against Yorkshire. That combined with the Dukes ball should see significantly more wickets fall on this occasion. However, Yorkshire with the star power of Harry Brook and Joe Root have the ability to accumulate runs quickly, giving their bowlers more time to try and take 20 wickets. With that in mind, it may prove a shrewd move to back Yorkshire here.
Prediction: Yorkshire draw no bet
