Warwickshire v Essex
LV= Insurance County Championship
Edgbaston
Thursday 22 – Sunday 25 April
11am start
The leading two sides in Group One of this year’s LV= Insurance County Championship lock horns this week when Essex travel to Edgbaston to face Warwickshire.
Essex will be boosted by the return of Australian bowler Peter Siddle. The popular paceman spent time with the Club in 2018, when he took 37 wickets in just seven matches and then in 2019 when he collected 34 wickets in eight games. Having finished playing for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield back home, he is free to spend the remainder of the season with the County Champions.
Both the Bears and Essex currently have 32 points from their two matches after both recorded victories in their last round of matches. Warwickshire beat Nottinghamshire by 3 wickets at Trent Bridge whilst Essex recorded a 44 run victory over Durham to protect their unbeaten record in red-ball cricket on home soil.
Squad:
Watch: Siddle looks ahead to Warwickshire:
Injury/Absentees News:
Essex have named 13-man squad with Feroze Khushi and Peter Siddle added to the team that triumphed against Durham.
Aron Nijjar is still recovering from a shoulder injury but Aaron Beard is back in action following his groin strain and is currently playing against Surrey in a Second XI match.
Opposition:
Warwickshire are led by newly appointed Will Rhodes, but a host of familiar faces have gone through the exit doors at Edgbaston in recent times to be replaced by a crop of promising youngsters and more senior players, such as former England all-rounder Tim Bresnan and spinner Danny Briggs who joined for Yorkshire and Sussex respectively.
South African batsman Pieter Malan and Indian Test batsman Hanuma Vihari fill the two Overseas slots.
The home side have been dealt a blow with Dom Sibley expected to be sidelined for the next three weeks after fracturing a finger during the win against Nottinghamshire last week.
One to Watch:
Olly Stone started his professional career with Northamptonshire before moving to Warwickshire in 2016. In September 2018, he was named in England’s Test and ODI squads for the first time but injuries hampered his opportunities before he eventually made his full England debut last winter.
Head-to-Head:
The two teams last contested a red-ball affair back in September 2019 when the outcome at Edgbaston was a draw. Warwickshire scored 517 (Simon Harmer 6/143) before Essex replied with 324 and following-on 158-2.
Tom Westley was the star performer with the bat for Essex, scoring 141 in the first innings and 97 in the second.
In the 121 Championship clashes between the sides, Essex have secured 39 victories and 48 draws with 33 defeats and one match tied.
Potential Milestones:
Alastair Cook requires 31 runs to reach 9,000 first class runs for Essex.
Dan Lawrence requires 135 runs to reach 4,000 first-class runs for Essex.
Adam Wheater requires 83 runs to reach 3,000 first-class runs for Essex.
Jamie Porter requires 10 more wickets to record 350 first-class wickets for Essex.
How To Watch:
Our Live Stream service will be available across all four days of this game from 11am, which also includes player stats, scorecards and clips throughout the day. Access via the Essex Cricket Matchzone is available here.
