The Sheffield Shield finished just a few days ago, the PSL and the IPL are underway, and now the County Championship kicks into life as the English season emerges for the winter chill into, well, the spring chill.

As is usually the case, there is plenty of Australian interest around the counties this year. Last season, the main story in the early weeks of the county season from an Australian perspective was Cameron Green's deal with Gloucestershire as he returned from a back injury ahead of the World Test Championship final and West Indies tour. He churned out the runs but, perhaps unsurprisingly, it became clear that hundreds in Division Two would not immediately translated into Test success.

Editor's Picks

Weatherald, Richardson headline Test watch

This year, Australia's next Tests come in August against Bangladesh which begins a run of at least 20 in 11 months. Jake Weatherald's deal with Leicestershire as a replacement for Peter Handscomb is among the most relevant after an Ashes series where he did not cement his place but formed a promising alliance with Travis Head. He appears likely to keep his place after being handed a central contract.

Weatherald finished the Shield season with 562 runs at 40.14 in a bowler-dominated summer down under - in the latter part of the campaign he flayed 95 off 120 balls and 62 off 57 but couldn't convert into a century or two which may have firmed his Test standing. Significantly, Leicestershire have been promoted to Division One, which should mean a higher quality of bowling for Weatherald to face.

The other significant name of immediate Test match relevance is Jhye Richardson, who will continue to ramp up his comeback from shoulder surgery with a stint at Yorkshire after somewhat surprisingly not making CA's contract list. Richardson returned to the Test side at the MCG and played three of the last four Shield matches for Western Australia. Despite missing a deal, he will still be a chance to featuring during Australia's hectic run with the pace bowling depth likely to be tested.

"I think there will be some aspect of management [with Yorkshire], but I'm hoping to play most of the games there. That's the plan, anyway," Richardson said recently. "I'm heading over feeling good about my body and my bowling, so I'm really excited to head over there. I can't wait to get the Dukes ball back in hand, albeit probably at about 8 or 9 degrees over there."

Beau Webster will return to Warwickshire having regained his Test place at the end of the Ashes and put in a performance at the SCG - an unbeaten 71 and three wickets - which will make it difficult to leave him out against Bangladesh. The debate will likely roll on as to whether he and Green can play in the same side consistently, particularly as it's likely Australia will need a frontline spinner in Darwin and Mackay, although coach Andrew McDonald has suggested they can.

O'Neill can press his case for 2027

There is not really much more Fergus O'Neill can do to impress the selectors, but he has a run of matches with Nottinghamshire to keep stacking up the performances. He finished the Shield season with 35 wickets at 18.80 and 472 runs at 36.30. In the final he top-scored for Victoria with 64 in the first innings. The debate around his pace will likely never go away, but Michael Neser's success this season in the Ashes showed there are many ways to go about the role.

His best chance of moving to the next level is likely next year's Ashes where his skills with the Dukes ball could make him a valuable part of the attack. However, the South Africa tour could be another route, particularly with the nature of surfaces that Test cricket is often played on in the country.

Sean Abbott has long been close to a Test cap, but perhaps never more so than this season only for a hamstring injury to end his Ashes hopes. The way the series played out, there is a decent chance he would have made a debut. With so many matches on the schedule he will remain in the frame, and probably doesn't need to prove anything on his return to Surrey but strong returns wouldn't hurt.

Nathan McSweeney, who will join Northamptonshire after a quick turnaround from the Shield final, has drifted down the Test pecking order after a season where he averaged 28.05 in South Australia's Shield triumph, although his half-century in the final against a high-quality attack was an important innings. There is now a middle-order vacancy after Usman Khawaja's retirement but McSweeney will likely need to leapfrog a few other contenders in the short term. His offspin is not to be discounted as a useful addition, however, with an eye on the India tour.

While there remains some uncertainty over Australia's batting, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris - bound for Gloucestershire and Lancashire respectively - will continue to be mentioned, although it feels like their time has passed.

Others heading to the Championship include: Caleb Jewell (Derbyshire), Gabe Bell (Gloucestershire) and Harry Conway (Northants). Sam Elliott had been due to join Middlesex but the hamstring injury he suffered in the Shield final has put that in doubt while a back injury has ended Mitch Perry's plans of playing for Lancashire.

T20 Blast deals*

The following players will also be appearing in the T20 Blast: D'Arcy Short (Gloucestershire), Hilton Cartwright (Hampshire), Tom Rogers (Kent), Chris Green (Lancashire), Ben McDermott (Lancashire), Chris Lynn (Northants), Peter Siddle (Nottinghamshire), Riley Meredith (Somerset), Daniel Sams (Somerset), Liam Scott (Gloucestershire + two Championship matches in June), Ashton Turner (Leicestershire), Nathan McAndrew (Glamorgan + two Championship matches in June), Will Sutherland (Yorkshire + two Championship matches in June)