Cricket in Europe is going through some turbulence at the moment. Regulars to my column will be aware of the troubles which face the Netherlands, and those teams who have been cut from ICC competition altogether.

However, amongst this cloud of bad news there are positives. Jersey have earned back to back promotions in the WCL, and France have begun to establish themselves as the ‘Best of the Rest’ behind the Channel Islands, Denmark and Italy. The mix of success and failure means that there is a new order establishing itself in Europe.

In this article I want to look at the top 6 teams (below the ‘Top Trio’ of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands), as I rank them (across both formats) and discuss what the future might hold for them.

So here goes:

1. Italy

Clearly the Top Dogs. Italy established themselves as the best T20 side in Europe last summer during Division 1 where they dominated the tournament (except arguably for the semi-final against Jersey where they almost slipped up). Furthermore they finished 9th at the WT20q ahead of ODI sides like Namibia and Canada. They even beat the UAE during the group stages of that tournament.

In the 50-over format they are the highest ranked side in Europe, although they now share WCL4 with Denmark and Jersey.

What does the future hold for the Italians? As everyone familiar with European Cricket knows Italy have a strong team of foreign born players, and as such they often subject to criticism (fairly or otherwise). This criticism often ignores the strong youth set up which Italy have, and the dedication all of its foreign born players have to developing talent from inside the country. As such the future is bright. It is difficult to see them being relegated from WCL 4, and they must start favourites for Europe Division 1 2015.

2. Jersey

Picking Jersey above Denmark will likely turn some heads given that Denmark finished above Jersey at last year’s Division 1 and the T20 Continental earlier in 2013. However the Jersey boys gave the Italians a scare during the semi-final of Division 1, and they have just completed back-to-back promotions in the WCL.

On top of this the future looks bright for Jersey. They are reaping the benefits of a professional set up which sees its best youngsters fast tracked through the national structure. Most recently this has seen Jonty Jenner (a 16 year old batsman) making waves during WCL5.

Jersey have also gained the all-round skills of Nat Watkins. Whilst his major contribution in Malaysia was with the bat, he bowls First-Class quality slow left arm. He adds balance to their 50-over side since his presence at the top of the order allows the big hitting Ed Farley to drop down to 7.

My prediction for Jersey is to survive in WCL 4, although I can’t see their back-to-back run continuing. In terms of T20 the extra spin option of Watkins, and the long batting line up makes them most likely to follow Italy to the next global qualifying T20 tournament.

3. Denmark

Denmark fans may consider themselves unlucky to find their team 3rd in this list, especially given recent performances at European level. However their global performances have left a lot to be desired, and have highlighted how reliant the Danish team is on a few individuals.

If Italy was the team that dominated Division 1 last year, then Freddie Klokker was the star of the tournament. He dominated almost every bowling attack he came up against. His 129* was the most extraordinary innings I have witnessed, but his lack of form in the UAE cost the Danes badly at the WT20q.

Denmark is not a one player side, and like Jersey they have a good youth set up, but their dependence of Klokker, Mahmood and the Pedersen brothers leaves them a bit exposed if their star players don’t come off.

The prowess of Klokker and Mahmood makes Denmark a dangerous prospect for their opposition at the next Division 1. However I fear their over reliance on a few key names leaves them exposed in what looks to be a high calibre WCL 4.

4. Guernsey

Unlike their Channel Island rivals, cricket in Guernsey (at the top level at least) is on the slide. It is understandable that a side would go through a rebuilding period as the likes of Jeremy Frith come towards the end of their career, but even so Guernsey will be upset with the manner in which they played in the recent WCL 4.

The hole which Frith will leave in the Guernsey line up cannot be underestimated, as evidenced by their performance in Kuala Lumpur without him (he has not yet retired, his absence from WCL 5 was work related, but at 36 years old, retirement cannot be far off). He dominated the Guernsey bowling and batting stats in Sussex last summer. Guernsey qualified easily from their group in that tournament, but they benefitted from a far easier group than their Channel Island rivals. Without their talismanic all-rounder (and the likes of Le Prevost and Smit, who have already retired) the rest of Europe will be snapping at the heels of Guernsey.

Whilst the island nation are certainly on a downward curve, it is hard to imagine them slipping out of the WCL system, and it is probable that they will return to WCL 5 before long. However it seems unlikely that they will challenge in any serious way next summer in Europe Division 1.

5. France

There may be some who claim an element of bias in the position of France. However France have not lost to a team other than those above them on this list since 2012 (in the WCL8q). This, I believe, should earn France the ‘Best of the Rest’ tag.

Despite threatening to slip up to the otherwise hapless Belgians during the group stages of the 2013 T20 in Sussex, France eased to 5th in the tournament with an enormous win over the Austrians in the 5th place play off.

France have not played 50-over cricket for almost 2 years, and with no prospects to play any until the next WCLq their One-Day standing remains speculation. However it is not impossible to see France transferring their T20 form to the 50 over game.

The seam bowling is disciplined, whilst the spin attack provides the main source of penetration, and the batting is still explosive but becoming more consistent. There are serious and realistic ambitions of entering the WCL structure, and France will be looking to take advantage of a weakened Guernsey side at next year’s Division 1.

6.

Picking a 6th side for this group is difficult. The temptation is to predict the winner of Europe Division 2 this summer, but since this list attempts to combine One-Day and T20 ability that might be unwise. Although thanks to the re-formatting of the WCL there is little One-Day cricket to consider.

So who are the contenders for 6th place?

Austria came 6th last summer, and deserve consideration for this list. However their position in that tournament was arguably elevated due to the relative weakness of their group (which they shared with Guernsey). Austria were involved in the WCLq in 2012, but their performances in that tournament do not aid their case.

Germany finished 7th last summer, having had to qualify from the tougher of the two pools, but even so they stumbled to get there, having won just one of their group games, and having beaten Norway by just a single run. However they do have history in the WCL, having been in WCL 7 not too long ago.

Finally I believe Belgium deserve a mention. They had an absolutely dreadful 2013, having lost every game they played but one (they lost every game of the T20 Continental, and managed to limp over the line vs Germany in Sussex). However these results are possibly explained by off field dramas which are unfortunately far from uncommon at the moment in Europe.

The more alert amongst you will have noted that I have not named a 6thteam. My prediction, if forced to nail my colours to the mast, would be for Belgium to waltz through Europe Division 3. Despite 2013 they are a good side, particularly with the ball (they have 3 good seamers who rival any seam attack in Division 2), and they will be far too good for their Division 3 rivals.

I believe that Belgium will go on to push the Germans and Austrians hard in Division 2. The Austrians don’t generally have one suit stronger than the other, but are prone to collapses against better attacks (as evidenced by their 67ao vs France), so I would discount the Austrians from earning promotion.

Between Germany and Belgium, my money would be on Germany. Their opening bowlers are a good match for the Belgians, and their top 4 is more consistent. This combined with the WCL pedigree of the Germans means that they probably merit 6th position in this list.

So gun to my head, my top 6 (behind the Top Trio) is:

1. Italy
2. Jersey
3. Denmark
4. Guernsey
5. France
6. Germany