Overseas players turning out in county cricket is nothing new, but as Rob Johnston writes, the difference between then and now is striking.

Amid much fanfare, the new season of the NatWest T20 Blast was launched at Edgbaston this week. Here, Matt Adams takes a critical look at its role in producing a winning England team of the future.

West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards’ stint with the national side has come to an end following his signing with the English county team Hampshire as a Kolpak player for the 2015 season.

Watch as Somerset captain Marcus Trescothick talks about the changes afoot at Taunton and why he sees "exciting times" ahead for the team.

Former Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard gives his view on the changes taking place at his old club and he says that they now have the chance to make the best of a fresh new start.

Leicestershire have confirmed the appointment of Wasim Khan MBE as their new Chief Executive Officer and he will begin his new role in January.

Kevin Pietersen cracked the highest individual score by a Surrey batsman since 1899 on his way to a breathtaking triple hundred as he continues his bid to make a comeback to the England team.

Last week, I went to watch Kent play Surrey at Beckenham and it got me thinking about the plight of festival cricket at outgrounds, writes Rob Johnston.

Leicestershire's Mark Cosgrove comes up with a tongue-in-cheek response to our question about whether Twenty20 cricket is becoming too much of a batsman's game.

Durham County Cricket Club have confirmed a partnership with isotonic sports drink producer iPro Sport, who will become their official hydration partner.

Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor says that the Outlaws have the potential to challenge on all three fronts this coming season as they bid to win silverware for the first time since 2013.

We have all become used to watching high-scoring Twenty20 games with sixes and fours hit with increasing regularity. But has the game gone too far in the batsmens' favour?

We preview this week's NatWest T20 Blast action by picking out the stats that matter ahead of 11 matches that could go a long way towards deciding who reaches the quarter-finals.

Surrey Chief Executive Richard Gould tells us that he and the club are "delighted" that Kevin Pietersen is making a return to the club to play county cricket this summer.

Rob Johnston asks whether the two-division County Championship is producing enough Test quality cricketers and what the growing gap between the first and second divisions means for England.

Ahead of the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-finals on Sunday and Monday, we take a look at some of the key statistics that may have an impact when the four remaining sides battle for a place in the final.

Kevin Pietersen’s return to county cricket has been confirmed as he is set to feature for Surrey in the opening game of the County Championship against Glamorgan on 19th April.

We preview the four NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals as the race to get to Finals Day reignites with four make-or-break matches to end the week.

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has set his eyes on a return to England's domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament with several county teams rumoured to have shown an interest in signing him.

There are just a handful of LV= County Championship matches remaining this season and if they avoid defeat against Middlesex, Yorkshire will be confirmed as champions this week.

As Yorkshire celebrate retaining their County Championship crown, take a look back at fast bowler Jack Brooks' pre-season predictions for the White Rose.

Surrey second-team coach Ali Brown says the club's youngsters are performing "exceptionally well" and their progress is putting the club in a strong position for the future.

Northamptonshire are one of three teams trying to join Birmingham and Worcestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals but captain Alex Wakely says their focus is not just concentrated on the shortest format of the game.

Australian batsman Joe Burns is all set to join Middlesex in May for the county season as a replacement for fellow team-mate Adam Voges who will be unavailable due to national duty.

In our latest Stat Attack video, we take a detailed look ahead to the latest round of LV County Championship matches with just over a month of the season remaining.

Gloucestershire overcame a magnificent six-wicket haul from Jade Dernbach to defeat Surrey in the final of the Royal London One-Day Cup at Lord's to claim the title.

Lancashire beat Northamptonshire by 13 runs in the final of the NatWest T20 Blast at Edgbaston, winning the competition for the first time on their sixth visit to Finals Day.

Warwickshire were the major winners at the 2014 ECB Business of Cricket Awards, taking home three awards while Lancashire, MCC, Nottinghamshire, Surrey and Worcestershire were also winners.

Nottinghamshire and England batsman Alex Hales has expressed his desire to play for England in the Test arena.

The final round of eight NatWest T20 Blast group matches tomorrow (24th July) will determine who makes the quarter-finals - we pick out the key stats for you ahead of the acion.

Tom Abell first came to our attention thanks to Cricket World profiled club Taunton - one year later, he has been won the 2015 LV= Breakthrough Player award following a stellar season with Somerset.

Warwickshire batsman William Porterfield is confident about his side’s chances of winning the County Championship this season.

In our latest Stat Attack video, we preview the week's NatWest T20 Blast fixtures as teams continue to battle for quarter-final places.

Ahead of another busy weekend of NatWest T20 Blast action, we preview the 14 matches coming up by picking out some of the key statistics relevant to each game in Stat Attack.

Former England fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom bowled a fantastic spell against Middlesex at Lord’s on Wednesday to help Yorkshire retain the LV=County Championship Division One title.

Fresh from joining forces with England internationals Heather Knight and Laura Marsh, Nurtition X have confirmed they will partner county champions Yorkshire for a third season.

Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams will become the first English county cricketer to trial the new Masuri Stemguard helmet safety attachment.

Gloucestershire Cricket will have both centurions from this year’s Big Bash League (BBL) in their ranks this season after signing hard-hitting batsman Peter Handscomb as their second overseas player for 2015.

Gloucestershire Cricket has appointed former Australia international allrounder Ian Harvey as assistant head coach. The 43-year-old won six one-day trophies at the club between 1999 and 2003 and he says is looking forward to trying to bring the glory days back to the Bristol County Ground.