ed barnard’s impressive start to the season is reflected via his standing in the latest pca most valuable player rankings for the specsavers county championship after the opening three rounds of matches.
the worcestershire all-rounder is currently lying in sixth spot with 81.75 points at an average of 27.25 per game.
barnard has taken 14 wickets at 18.71 and scored 155 runs at 31.00.
county captain joe leach, who has finished in the top 10 of the mvp rankings for the past three seasons, is the next best placed worcestershire player in 17th spot.
leach has also taken 14 championship wickets at an average of 20.86.
josh tongue is lying in 24th position (50.62 points at 16.87 per game) after his haul of 11 wickets including 4-81 against nottinghamshire at New Road.
travis head is worcestershire’s leading run-getter with 174 at 34.80 and he is occupying 37th spot.
nottinghamshire pacemen jake ball currently heads the mvp championship rankings after amassing 21 wickets – including five in worcestershire’s second innings yesterday.
the mvp formula was designed to identify the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic and international season.
an innovation which provides a more rigorous analysis of player performances than traditional batting and bowling averages, the mvp formula gives full credit to those players whose performances improve their team’s chances of winning.
points are accrued for all runs scored and wickets taken, these are then adjusted within the context of the match to take into account strike rates and economy rates.
runs gain more points if they are scored quickly or in low-scoring contests. top order wickets are judged more valuable than those that fall later. catches, run-outs and stumpings are also accounted for as well as bonus points for captains and players who are on the victorious side.
the player who tops the overall pca county mvp rankings at the end of the season receives a £10,000 reward.