Matthew Carter, Nottinghamshire
In the current era – in fact in any era – one should take notice when a 19-year-old spinner takes 10 wickets in his maiden first-class appearance. I happened to be at Taunton when Matthew Carter of Nottinghamshire took seven for 56 against Somerset this week – there would be three more expensive wickets in the second innings. He is a tall, willowy off-spinner, who still manages to loop the ball as well as spin it and in that magical first outing his control was excellent. Vic Marks
Verdict Give him half a decade to learn his craft and a chat or two with Graeme Swann along the way and there may be possibilities here
Zafar Ansari, Surrey
Ansari can open the batting, bowl left-arm spin, play the piano and explain international politics, potentially all at once. The 23-year-old has flourished with red and white ball alike for Surrey. Ansari is a mature cricketer and taking 22 Championship wickets in May is not to be scoffed at. Skilled at bowling defensive and attacking lines, he gives the ball flight and remains remarkably calm under pressure.His batting is another positive, with two first-class centuries to his name. Amy Lofthouse
Verdict Early promise but needs to be tested against higher-quality batsmen
Tom Westley, Essex
A part-time off spinner, yes, but England see something of substance in Westley’s party trick, particularly in limited-overs cricket. They sent him to Sri Lanka as part of a batting and spin bowling camp in the winter, where he worked with the ECB national spin bowling coach Peter Such. He stayed on to play for Bloomfield Athletic and Cricket Club where he was captained by the Test off-spinner Suraj Randiv who gave Westley a lot of advice. Sadly, his joints were not supple enough to learn the doosra. Vithushan Ehantharajah
Verdict A work in progress and a slim to none England pick for spin alone right now
Scott Borthwick, Durham
At Arundel on Thursday, Borthwick provided a reminder of why he is a capped England spinner. After a crucial second-innings 74 for Durham against Sussex, he took four for 46 to seal a 178-run win. Not possessing of a big bag of tricks, what he does have is a great stock leggie and the confidence to give it flight and decent turn upon landing. Arguably the best wrists – whether batting, bowling or fielding – in the county game. Will McPherson
Verdict Remains a better batter and catcher than bowler, but must not be forgotten, and must bowl more
Arron Lilley, Lancashire
At the start of 2015, mentioning Arron Lilley and England in the same sentence would have drawn quizzical looks from even the most ardent Lancashire supporter. An off-spinning all-rounder with more white-ball experience than red, Lilley, 24, was behind the left-armers Simon Kerrigan and Stephen Parry at Old Trafford, but has played two Championship matches alongside Kerrigan, taking nine wickets and scoring two fifties. Ashley Giles now has a selection headache. They call him the Big Show. Graham Hardcastle
Verdict Lots to learn, but Swann was also a late bloomer.
Ollie Rayner, Middlesex
Extremely tall for an off-spinner and therefore able to create extra bounce, the 29-year-old has had something of a feast-or-famine career to date. Called up to England’s holding camp in Abu Dhabi as far back as November 2008 as the squad debated whether or not to return to India following the Mumbai terror attacks, that early promise blossomed most fruitfully when he bagged an eye-catching 15 wickets in a match against Surrey at The Oval in September 2013. However, his 2014 County Championship wickets then cost more than a hundred apiece. Currently in the Middlesex team due to injury to the slow left-armer Ravi Patel, he dismissed England lefties Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance during a decent fourth-innings display at Headingley earlier this month. Richard Gibson
Verdict Different to his peers but England Lions level might be his ceiling.
