Somerset v Essex
LV= Insurance County Championship
The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
Thursday 14 – Sunday 17 April
11am start
After a blustery draw against Kent last week, which was dominated by the bat, Essex look to improve and target the first win of this LV= Insurance County Championship season.
Tomorrow’s game against Somerset, which gets underway at 11am, sees Essex build on a good game with the bat last time out, which saw 3 hundreds, including a great first innings knock by Matt Critchley, who scored 132 (179) and a 220-run opening partnership from centurions Nick Browne and Alastair Cook.
The team will have been given a boost after seeing Somerset’s first result of the season, which saw them lose by an innings and 113 runs, away at Hampshire.
Squad:
Essex’s shrewd recruitment seemed to pay off in the first game of the season, with new addition Matt Critchley starring with both bat and ball.
His performance was backed up by another recent addition in Adam Rossington, who scored 41 (52) in a captivating innings that was only cut short due to a snorter from Darren Stevens.
Mark Steketee was also able to get used to unfamiliar conditions as he bowled his first 29 overs in England.
There’s one change to the squad that played against Kent with Simon Harmer coming in for Aaron Beard. Harmer missed the first game of the season due to his selection in the South Africa Test side for their series with Bangladesh.
The Opposition:
Somerset finished last season at the bottom of Division One, losing all four games after finishing top of Group 3.
Essex fans will see a familiar face in the Somerset ranks in Peter Siddle, who has joined the West-Country side for the 2022 campaign.
The 37-year-old had a three-year stint at Chelmsford, taking 91 wickets and becoming a favourite with the crowd at The Cloud County Ground.
Somerset Squad: Ben Green, Tom Lammonby, Matt Renshaw, Tom Abell (c), James Hildreth, Lewis Goldsworthy, Steve Davies (wk), Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Peter Siddle, Jack Leach, Jack Brooks and Kasey Aldridge.
Last time out:
The last time two team’s faced in red-ball cricket was in September 2020 in the Bob Willis Trophy Final at Lord’s, in which Essex came out on top.
After a remarkable 172 from England’s all-time leading run scorer, Alastair Cook, supported by captain Tom Westley, Essex gained a first-innings advantage of 36. Westley’s side were tormented by the Somerset batters in the second innings, with Lammonby scoring 116 (151), before declaring at 272-7, leaving Essex with 236 to win.
In the end, time ran out and the game ended in the draw, with Essex lifting the Bob Willis Trophy having secured a first innings advantage.
How To Watch:
Our Live Stream service will be available across all four days of this game from 10:30am, which also includes player stats, scorecards and clips throughout the day.
The broadcast can be accessed via the Essex Cricket Matchzone here.
