Warwickshire v Essex
Vitality County Championship
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Tuesday 17 – Friday 20 September 2024 | 10:30am start
Team News
Warwickshire: Rob Yates, Alex Davies*, Will Rhodes, Sam Hain, Hamza Shaikh, Ed Barnard, Michael Burgess+, Danny Briggs, Craig Miles, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Chris Rushworth
Essex: Dean Elgar, Robin Das, Tom Westley*, Matt Critchley, Paul Walter, Michael Pepper+, Noah Thain, Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter
Match Details
Umpires: Neil Pratt & Graham Lloyd
Match Referee: James Whitaker
Scorers: Mel Smith & Paul Parkinson
Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bowl first
Result: Essex won by an innings and 40 runs
Scorecard: View here
Day Two Report
Jamie Porter hit the momentous milestone of 500 First-Class wickets for Essex as the Eagles wrapped up a rapid innings-and-40-run victory over Warwickshire inside two days at Edgbaston.
Porter became the first Essex bowler since Mark Ilott in July 2000 to hit the career-defining landmark, is the 26th man to achieve the feat for the one club he has represented since his debut in 2014.
He capped the feat with his best figures of the season, returning 6/36 in the Bears’ second innings as they were dismissed for 114 as Essex secured a second consecutive innings win.
In a match that moved at breakneck speed throughout, last wicket pair Shane Snater and Porter swiftly added a further 43 runs after the resumption on a gloomy second morning at Edgbaston.
Snater led the way in passing fifty and going on to make 69 before being bowled by Craig Miles, as the duo hauled the Eagles’ total past 200 and established a first-innings lead of 154.
It was an advantage that turned out to be too much for the hosts to even reach parity with, as Porter and Cook again blew the top order away to at one point have the score standing at 3-4.
Rob Yates and Will Rhodes were both removed by Sam Cook, who picked up figures of 3/36, lbw for one and bowled for nought, respectively, as the onslaught began.
Porter then joined the party by having Sam Hain well held by Simon Harmer in the slips for one to begin the march towards his milestone, before Cook bowled Hamza Shaikh for a duck.
Inside six overs, the Warwickshire second innings had been reduced to rubble, and although Alex Davies and Ed Barnard rebuilt slightly by each making it to double figures, both were gone soon after.
The former was pinned lbw for 12 by Snater, while Porter took care of the latter on 15 as Michael Pepper completed the job behind the stumps.
Warwickshire were 52-6 by the time the welcome respite of lunch arrived, though Danny Briggs fought back the hardest after the break with a counter-attacking 51.
Although he at least helped the hosts to avoid the ignominy of being bowled out for less than 100 for the second time in the game, his belligerence was soon ended by Pepper’s catch off Porter.
That left the 31-year-old just one away from his milestone, and he hit it only two balls later when Miles was bowled for nought, precipitating the end of the match.
Michael Burgess became wicket number five when he slogged to Paul Walter in the deep for 28, before Porter poetically rounded out the win with his sixth by having Chris Rushworth caught for a duck.
Day One Report
Essex’s seamers bowled Warwickshire out for just 78 to take immediate control of their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Put in on a bowler-friendly track, the home side was skittled in 27.4 overs by Shane Snater (five for 13), Jamie Porter (three for 15) and Sam Cook (two for 31). Sustained resistance came only from Will Rhodes (29, 60) on his last home appearance before joining Durham.
Essex then dipped to 50 for five but recovered to close the opening day on 189 for nine thanks to astute contributions from Michael Pepper (37, 62 balls), Snater (33 not out, 37) Matt Critchley (32, 82) and Simon Harmer (31, 64). Ed Barnard took three for 36 and Craig Miles three for 53 but a lead of 111 already looks decisive.
Essex have laid the platform for a second successive emphatic win while Warwickshire’s supporters digest one last moderate instalment of a deeply uninspiring home championship campaign.
Porter and Olly Hannon-Dalby started the day as the country’s joint leading wicket-takers on 46 and the former took just 16 balls to move to 48 by removing Warwickshire’s openers; Rob Yates lbw and Alex Davies caught at third slip. When Sam Hain, trapped in the crease, was lbw to Cook, Warwickshire were 18 for three.
Eighteen-year-old Hamza Shaikh got stuck in for 37 balls for eight runs before Snater struck twice in seven balls. Shaikh’s off-stump was sent flying and Barnard’s would have been if his pads hadn’t been in the way.
Rhodes, warmly applauded to the crease by supporters aware of the void he will leave in Warwickshire’s top order, eked 29 from 98 minutes toil before edging a peach of an away-cutter from Snater to wicketkeeper Pepper. Any Bears hope of recovery vanished with the last ball of the morning when Cook knocked out Michael Burgess’s middle stump.
From 73 for seven at lunch, the innings imploded in another 16 balls, Snater wrapping it up with an lbw decision against Hannon-Dalby to secure his eighth first-class five-for.
Batting remained troublesome at first when Essex replied and they lost Robin Das, lbw to Hannon-Dalby, to the 13th ball. Westley decided that positivity was the solution and struck seven fours in a 22-ball 30 but was then also trapped in front by the big Yorkshireman.
When Barnard broke through twice in three balls – Dean Elgar caught at first slip and Paul Walter played on – and Noah Thain edged Chris Rushworth airily to second slip, Essex were 50 for five, but the lower order batted wisely and patiently as the pitch eased in the late afternoon sunshine.
Critchley reined in his attacking instincts, taking 23 balls to get off the mark, and with Pepper added 55 in 18 overs against an attack which lost Rushworth injured. Critchley edged Barnard to second slip and Pepper leading-edged a return catch to Miles but Harmer and Snater added a valuable 39.
Miles removed Harmer and Cook in three balls but Snater’s cameo, including three successive fours off Miles, lifted the lead over 100.
Enter the ballot for international tickets
In what’s set to be an unmissable afternoon of IT20 cricket, some of the world’s best T20 cricketers will go head to head in a T20 set in the heart of Essex.
What’s more, the game will be played on the Spring Bank Holiday making it the perfect day out with friends and family.
Demand for tickets will be high, so make sure to enter the ticket ballot and share with family and friends for the best chance to get your hands on tickets before public sale.
You’ll also have the chance to earn an extra entry to the ballot by sharing with the person you’d like to bring with you.
The ballot will close at midnight on Monday 04 November and ballot winners will be contacted with a unique link to purchase tickets on Tuesday 05 November.
