Warwickshire v Essex
Vitality County Championship
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Tuesday 17 – Friday 20 September 2024 | 10:30am start
With just two matches of the 2024 season remaining, Essex head to Edgbaston for a final away trip of the campaign to take on Warwickshire.
The fired-up Eagles recorded a convincing victory over Nottinghamshire last week, triumphing by a comprehensive innings and 83 runs to post a fifth win in this season’s Vitality County Championship.
Simon Harmer returned match figures of 8/109 as the hosts first skittled the Green and Golds for 93, before overcoming stiffer resistance to bowl them out again for 281 after enforcing the follow-on.
Essex had earlier posted a mammoth 457 all out, with Tom Westley striking 122, his first Championship hundred of the season, and Michael Pepper scoring 115 to continue his recent purple patch.
Pepper’s ton was his fourth in all formats this season, allied with two in the Vitality Blast, and his second in as many matches.
Now, Anthony McGrath’s side take to the road for one final time in 2024, heading to the West Midlands with the aim of backing up that big win.
Squad
Director of Cricket McGrath has named an unchanged 13-strong squad for the trip to the Second City.
The Opposition
Although Warwickshire reached the knockout stages of both white-ball competitions, it has been a tough season in the County Championship for the Bears.
Mark Robinson’s side have won just one red-ball game in 2024, against basement side Kent, and currently sit seventh in Division One, 26 points above the relegation zone.
That win at home to the Canterbury outfit was in fact in round 10, a little over two weeks ago, and it meant Warwickshire went from April to August this year without winning a Championship match.
Their eight draws – the most in the division – is what has prevented them from being further down, as despite only one win, the Bears have also only tasted defeat on three occasions.
Robinson’s side have also picked up a division-high 63 bonus points, and are the only side in the top flight to have so far hit the milestone of 30 batting bonuses.
That has been driven by the runs of Alex Davies, who is one of only three men to have reached 1,000 Championship runs this season, while Oliver Hannon-Dalby’s 46 wickets lead the way with the ball.
Warwickshire squad: Alex Davies*, Ed Barnard, Danny Briggs, Michael Burgess, Sam Hain, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Jake Lintott, Craig Miles, Dan Mousley, Will Rhodes, Craig Rushworth, Hamza Shaikh, Rob Yates
Last Time We Met
Jordan Cox and Matt Critchley led a sensational fourth-innings chase of 330 on the last occasion of Essex and Warwickshire locking horns, as the Eagles spectacularly triumphed by four wickets.
Having conceded a first-innings deficit of 235 after being bowled out for 162 in response to the Bears’ 397, the hosts hit back emphatically to skittle Robinson’s side for 94 in their second dig.
Critchley took 4/24 and Simon Harmer claimed 3/28 as the visitors were blown away inside 38 overs, setting up a chase that was just within the realms of achievable.
Dean Elgar set things on the way with a typically gritty 60, though when he became the fourth wicket to fall, the Eagles still required another 218 to win.
However, in the ensuing 53 overs, Cox and Critchley batted with perfectly-timed precision to add 176 of those, with Cox making a game-changing 112.
He was unable to quite make the knock a red-inker, though Simon Harmer joined Critchley, who did hit an unbeaten 99, to chip in at the end and see the Eagles memorably over the line.
Division One Table
How To Watch
If you are not joining the Eagles in Birmingham in person, the game will be streamed live on hosts Warwickshire’s YouTube channel and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
A report will be published on the Club website after each day’s play, while live updates and daily highlights will be provided on the Club’s social media channels.
Tickets
All tickets for this fixture are general admission, with adult tickets priced at £15 and under-16s going free when bought with a paying adult.
Click the link below to buy your tickets for each day’s play:
Enter the ballot for international tickets
The 2025 international fixture list has been revealed, with Chelmsford braced for high-octane action as England Women take on West Indies Women on Monday 26 May at 2:30pm.
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.
