Essex Men return to Blast action on Friday with a trip to Northampton to face the Steelbacks.
Chris Silverwood's side will look to continue their strong start to the Vitality Blast when they take on Central & West Group leaders Northamptonshire Steelbacks at the Cinch County Ground.
The Steelbacks have won each of their opening six Blast matches, while Essex sit second in the South Group after winning four of their first six games.
Before the competition's mid-season break for two red-ball fixtures, Essex completed the double over Kent Spitfires with a victory at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Charlie Allison’s outstanding Vitality Blast form continued as his career-best 74 helped Essex Eagles secure a fourth consecutive victory with a thrilling three-run win over Kent Spitfires in the Battle of the Bridge.
Allison struck his third successive half-century, while Jordan Cox marked his first Essex appearance of the summer with 40 as the Eagles posted 187 for 6 after being asked to bat first. The pair shared a crucial 58-run partnership before Allison accelerated with six sixes, and Wiaan Mulder’s late cameo of 29 helped lift the total.
Kent's chase never fully gained momentum after Charlie Bennett removed both openers early on. Although Sam Billings made 62 and shared a quick-fire partnership with Zak Crawley, wickets from Zum Akhtar, Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer kept Essex in control.
Akhtar finished with impressive figures of 3 for 19, while a late last-wicket stand threatened to snatch victory for the visitors. However, the Eagles held their nerve to seal a fourth straight win and strengthen their position in second place in the South Group heading into the break.
Chris Silverwood has named a 14-player squad for the trip to Northampton, which includes the return of wicket-keeper batter Jordan Cox.
Sam Cook is still sidelined with a fractured wrist. He is working closely with our medical team as he goes through rehabilitation and recovery and is expected to return soon. An update on his return will be released in due course.
Captain: David Willey
Overseas: Chris Lynn (Australia, all), Nathan McSweeney (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Five (2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2025)
Titles: Two (2013, 2016)
2025 finish: Semi-finals
2025 leading run-scorer: Ravi Bopara (462)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ben Sanderson & George Scrimshaw (26)
Winter moves: Northamptonshire are glad to have big-hitting Australian opener Chris Lynn back for a third season at Wantage Road after his match-winning century for Hampshire in last season’s semi-final ended the Steelbacks’ cup dreams. Northamptonshire will miss Ravi Bopara following his retirement, but welcome Big Bash-winning captain Nathan McSweeney who has been scoring heavily in the Championship.
The big question: David Willey has proved an inspirational leader, taking the Steelbacks to a quarter-final and a semi-final in his first two years in charge. Last season’s campaign began with a run of six victories before the Steelbacks stuttered in the second half of the group stages before rallying. Can the Steelbacks learn from that and maintain any early momentum?
Wildcard watch: Opener Ricardo Vasconcelos has returned to his best and is striking the ball hard, but few would bet against Ben Sanderson staking a claim again after his Hundred wildcard pick-up last year. The 37-year-old seamer is among county cricket’s leading wicket-takers in the Championship with four five-wicket hauls to his name and proving as effective as ever.
Final thoughts: Chris Lynn brings added firepower at the top of the order, while Willey will also be able to draw on McSweeney’s experience, as he looks to guide the Steelbacks to a second consecutive Finals Day appearance under charismatic head coach Darren Lehmann. Sanderson’s accuracy and Scrimshaw’s pace will again prove pivotal. Northamptonshire hope all-rounder Justin Broad, appointed vice-captain for the Blast, recovers from the back injury that ruled him out of the start of the season.
The sides met in dramatic fashion at Finals Day in 2013, when Northamptonshire secured a place in the Friends Life t20 final for the first time after completing a record-breaking chase against Essex.
Despite Essex posting what appeared to be a match-winning total, boosted by a late onslaught from Graham Napier, Northants produced an extraordinary response. Napier smashed 38 from just 15 balls and shared a rapid partnership with captain James Foster to lift Essex well above the average score at the venue.
Northamptonshire's chase was built on a strong foundation from Richard Levi, who struck 57, before an unbroken partnership between Cameron White and all-rounder Steven Crook turned the match decisively in their favour. Crook blasted 46 not out from only 24 deliveries as the pair added 78 runs in just 35 balls to guide Northants home with 11 balls to spare.
Foster praised the quality of Northants' match-winners after the game, acknowledging that Essex had performed well but were ultimately undone by two outstanding individual performances.
The defeat was a disappointing one for Essex, ending another Finals Day campaign at the semi-final stage, while Northamptonshire continued a remarkable resurgence that eventually carried them through to the competition's final.
Previous Team Lineups
Northants: Richard Levi, Kyle Coetzer, Cameron White, Alex Wakely (C), Steven Crook, David Willey, Matt Spriegel, James Middlebrook, David Murphy (WK), Lee Daggett, Azharullah.
Essex: Greg Smith, Hamish Rutherford, Mark Pettini, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate, James Foster (C & WK), Graham Napier, Tim Phillips, David Masters, Shaun Tait, Reece Topley.
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