The 1980 English cricket season was the 81st in which the County Championship had been an official competition.
West Indies defeated England in the summer's Test series 1–0, rain ensuring that the other four matches were all drawn.
West Indies excelled in batting and fast bowling with Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding their standout performers.
England's best player was Peter Willey who scored a fine century at The Oval.
Other leading batsmen were Kepler Wessels and Peter Kirsten who both averaged over 60.