Essex v Worcestershire
Vitality County Championship
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Thursday 29 August – Sunday 01 September 2024 | 11:00am start
After a rain-affected draw against Hampshire last week, Essex return to The Cloud County Ground to take on Worcestershire in a first home Vitality County Championship match for 64 days.
Despite centuries for returning pair Dean Elgar and Jordan Cox as the Eagles piled up 438-8 declared, the weather conspired against the visitors as all of Day One and most of Day Three were washed out.
Matt Critchley also took his third five-wicket haul of the Championship season, becoming the only man in the country to achieve the feat three times this summer, as the hosts replied with 424-8.
However, the swathes of time lost to the wet conditions made any result apart from the draw heavily unlikely, and it proved when the sides shook hands late on the fourth day.
Essex collected 14 points from the tie, keeping them in Division One’s top three and in the title tilt, with the gap to defending champions Surrey now 38 points with four games still to be played.
Now, ahead of a run-in that features three home games out of four, Anthony McGrath’s side go in search of the points that will cut that gap and keep them in championship contention.
Squad
Director of Cricket McGrath has named a 13-strong squad for the visit of the Pears.
The Opposition
Despite a slew of fitness issues plaguing their season, Worcestershire have adapted relatively well to the rigours of Division One cricket after being promoted.
It was the Pears’ seventh ascent from Division Two to the top flight, a county cricket record, but despite it being their first since 2017, they have settled in amongst the middle of the pack well.
Alan Richardson’s side currently sit sixth, 11 points above the drop zone but only 20 off fourth, in a situation that underlines how congested mid-table is in Division One.
They come into this match as one of the most in-form sides in the division, having won both of their last two games either side of the One Day Cup break, against Durham and Kent.
Kashif Ali leads the way in the Pears’ run-scoring charts, having struck 682 at a weighty average of 62.00, while Gareth Roderick and Jake Libby have both hit 563 to be joint-second.
Meanwhile, Nathan Smith, whose overseas stint has now ended, is still the county’s leading wicket-taker with 27 scalps at 21.14, ahead of Joe Leach’s 21 and Adam Finch, who has claimed 17.
Worcestershire squad: Brett D’Oliveira*, Kashif Ali, Ethan Brookes, James Hartshorn, Adam Hose, Rob Jones, Joe Leach, Jake Libby, Gareth Roderick, Tom Taylor, Logan van Beek, Amar Virdi, Matthew Waite
Last Time We Met
A trip back to the conference-style system that was used during the pandemic is required to find the last time Essex met Worcestershire in first-class cricket.
There were still no crowds permitted in professional sport when the Eagles travelled west to New Road at the end of April 2021, though had crowds been allowed, they would have seen a high-scoring draw.
Having chosen to bat first on a helpful surface, Essex piled up 561-8 declared, with Alastair Cook and Tom Westley both notching centuries, although Dan Lawrence fell ten runs short of matching them.
He did at least join Paul Walter and Simon Harmer in passing fifty, with the latter doing so at a swift tempo to add 57 in just 51 balls.
In response, Sam Cook and Simon Harmer each claimed four wickets to dismiss Worcestershire for 364, with the South African spinner turning in a typically marathon spell to send down 49 overs.
With the deficit standing at 197, Westley asked the Pears to follow on, but an obdurate fifty from Jake Libby helped defy the victory-hunting Eagles attack and bat out the remaining 57 overs for the draw.
Division One Table
How To Watch
If you are not able to make it to The Cloud County Ground in person, the game will be streamed live on the EssexCricketTV YouTube channel and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
A report and reaction will be published on the Club website after each day’s play via the Club website, while live updates and daily highlights will be provided on the Club’s social media channels.
Tickets
Members of both counties are free to sit in any available and vacant seat, though the Doug Insole Pavilion benches and blocks 1-14 and 27-31 are reserved specifically for their use.
Meanwhile, general admission advance tickets are priced at £16 for adults, while young adults aged between 18 and 25 can buy at any time for £12 and under-18 tickets cost just £6.
A family ticket, covering two adults and two children, costs just £35, while a four-day ticket covering the entire match can be purchased over the phone for £44.
Please note that these two types of ticket are only available in advance of the fixture, and that individual adult tickets will rise in price to £20 if bought on the day.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 01245 254010 or by visiting the link below:
Cricket & Craft Ale Festival at The Cloud County Ground
Essex Cricket and Greene King are joining forces to create a Cricket & Craft Ale Festival during the first three days of the Vitality County Championship fixture between Essex and Worcestershire at The Cloud County Ground.
Greene King will be supplying as many as twelve craft ales for fans to sip on whilst enjoying County Championship action in a crucial late-summer clash.
Fans can purchase tickets to Essex’s County Championship match against Worcestershire from £16 for Adults and there will be no additional cost to enter the Cricket & Craft Ale Festival, with drinks to be purchased individually once inside.
Secure your seats to Essex v Worcestershire and sample Greene King’s craft ales:
