Star Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has agreed a seven-match Rothesay County Championship deal with Essex from the beginning of the 2025 season.
Thakur, 33, has represented India on 83 occasions in all formats, taking a combined 129 wickets, including 31 in 11 Test appearances.
His international debut came in an August 2017 ODI away to Sri Lanka, with his maiden Test appearance following just over a year later, at home to the West Indies.
Thakur had burst onto the scene 18 months before his international bow when, aged just 24, he claimed eight wickets in the 2016 Ranji Trophy final to lead Mumbai to their 41st title in that competition.
He has since gone on to claim a total of 296 First-Class wickets at an average of 27.45, and he also has over 2,000 runs to his name in the format, with two hundreds and 15 half-centuries.
Thakur’s recent form has sparkled too, hitting 84 off 42 and taking a hat-trick on his way to match figures of 8/91, in a recent Ranji Trophy game against Meghalaya.
Just one match before that, he also hit 51 and 119 against Jammu and Kashmir, sharing in a vital stand of 184 for the eighth wicket.
"I am feeling excited to join Essex this summer," said Thakur. "Personally it brings new challenges and opportunities to showcase my talent and skills.
"County cricket is something I always wanted to experience and I am glad that I’ll be representing the Eagles."
Essex Director of Cricket, Chris Silverwood, added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to get the signing of Shardul over the line.
“We were very clear amongst ourselves that a high quality quick bowler, with lower-order batting ability, was a key target for the Club this winter.
“In Shardul, we have signed just that, and we can’t wait to welcome him to Essex and see how he gets on in the County Championship.”
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Dan Feist has been confirmed as Chief Executive of Essex Cricket.
Feist, who was previously General Manager as part of a three-pronged senior leadership team, has now been named as Chief Executive, with responsibility for day-to-day operations across the Club.
He has worked for Essex since 2012, first as Head of Community and Cricket Operations, before stepping into the Deputy Chief Executive role last year.
He was then promoted to General Manager as part of a Club management restructure following the departure of former Chief Executive John Stephenson.
"I'm deeply honoured and excited in equal measure to take on the role of Chief Executive," said Feist. "This is a Club that has become a significant part of my life, and it means a great deal to me.
"I am passionate about cricket at all levels in Essex and the region, from increasing participation opportunities for all members of our community, to ensuring all our squads are in the best position to challenge for trophies.
"We have a strong, hard-working group of staff already in place, and competitive squads ready to take to the field, and it is my role to maintain the high standards that Essex Cricket has already set itself.
“In partnership with the Boards, we have a clear vision of becoming the number one cricket region, and I am eager to play a role in ensuring we can achieve that.
"At this incredibly exciting time, with our newly-professional women's side joining us, I believe we have the right people and the right culture to continue to drive Essex and the entire, wider region forward."
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Grace Scrivens has been named as Essex Women captain ahead of the newly-professional squad’s debut season in 2025.
In addition, all-rounder Eva Gray has also been named as the Eagles’ vice-captain with a little over three months to go until the team make their debut in Essex colours.
Scrivens, 21, was previously Sunrisers captain under the old regional model of women’s domestic cricket, having taken on the role full time ahead of the 2024 season.
Prior to that, she was also named as England captain for the Under-19s T20 World Cup in January 2023, which was hosted by South Africa.
In September last year, Scrivens led Sunrisers to their first-ever piece of silverware, lifting the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.
In that match, a 27-run rain-affected win over South East Stars, she hit a vitally fluent 39 not out from 47 deliveries to keep Sunrisers ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score.
Left-hander Scrivens averaged just under 41 with the bat for Sunrisers in matches where she was captain, hitting eight fifties and two centuries.
"Being named captain feels great," said Scrivens. "We're really excited to have joined the Essex family, and now, being named captain, is just as exciting too.
"My leadership style is to lead from the front and have a good time with it, because I think when people are enjoying themselves, we get the best out of them."
Team Director, Andy Tennant, added: "We're pleased to confirm the appointment of Grace as our captain.
"Given the success we enjoyed in 2024 as Sunrisers, we have placed a lot of emphasis on continuity during the process of joining the Essex family.
"With that in mind, it was an easy decision to offer Grace the captaincy of the first-ever professional Essex Women's team.
"We are delighted she chose to accept, and we look forward to seeing her lead the team in 2025."
width="700" class="size-full wp-image-105368" />As a Member of Essex, you’ll gain access to a host of exclusive benefits.
From priority ticketing for matches at our iconic HQ in Chelmsford to special events, and opportunities to engage with players and coaching staff, your Membership offers a unique opportunity to join the Club throughout the 2025 season.
Purchase your 2025 Membership now by clicking the link below, or by calling the Ticket and Membership Office on 01245 254010 between 10am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
The Principal Partnership between Essex Cricket and Cloud, which includes the naming rights to the Club’s Chelmsford home, is to come to an end today.
The Colchester-based facilities management company held the naming rights to the ground for eight seasons, the joint-longest naming rights partnership in the Club’s history.
That coincided with one of the most successful periods in Essex’s history, as the Eagles lifted four trophies, including a historic double in 2019, while playing their home matches at The Cloud County Ground.
We thank Cloud for their fantastic support since becoming a partner in 2017 and will announce soon our plans for their successor as our new ground naming rights partner.
Dan Feist, General Manager at Essex Cricket, said: “We are very grateful to Cloud for their support of the Club over the last eight years as our ground naming rights partner.
“Cloud actively played a part in helping us to achieve our goals both on and off the field, and I especially want to note their loyal support during the extremely challenging pandemic, for which we will always be thankful.
“Our Principal Partnerships are pivotal in helping us achieve our goals, and we thank Cloud for all they have done for the Club and wish them the best for the future.
“We will soon be making an announcement regarding our next naming rights partner for the ground, which everyone at the Club is excited about.”
Jeff Dewing, CEO of Cloud, said: "We are incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved together in true partnership over the years. The relationships we’ve built — with the Club, sponsors, and partners — will stand the test of time.
I sincerely wish the Club continued success and look forward to seeing the legacy of this incredible partnership grow even further."
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Purchase your 2025 Membership now by clicking the link below, or by calling the Ticket and Membership Office on 01245 254010 between 10am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
The Principal Partnership between Essex Cricket and Cloud, which includes the naming rights to the Club’s Chelmsford home, comes to an end today.
Cloud, both in their current guise and under their previous name of Cloudfm, held the naming rights to the ground for eight seasons, the joint-longest naming rights partnership in the Club’s history.
That coincided with one of the most successful times in Essex history, as the Eagles lifted four trophies, including a historic double in 2019, while playing their home matches at The Cloud County Ground.
In honour of that and as Club-wide thank you to Cloud for their support over almost a decade, this is a look back on an over of the most memorable moments at the venue since the beginning of 2017.
It’s hard to overstate Simon Harmer’s impact at Essex, and he emphatically announced himself and his considerable talents to the Chelmsford faithful with this display of wizardry in his debut season.
In a day/night clash and despite a second-day washout, Essex dominated the Seaxes, and towards the conclusion of the penultimate day, the Eagles declared their first innings on 542-3, leading by 296.
That left them a day to bowl the visitors out once more, although Nick Compton’s stubborn 120 was the source of much frustration as the overs ticked down and the floodlights went on.
However, the irrepressible Harmer produced a sparkling performance to collect innings figures of 9/95, and he claimed the winning scalp in stunningly dramatic fashion, with just eight balls to spare.
Three months on, the all-conquering Eagles had steamrolled towards a first County Championship title in 25 years, but had one more clash to negotiate before they could lift the trophy.
The last visitors of the 2017 season to CM2 were Yorkshire, but any notion that the White Rose would put a dampener on the celebrations were emphatically dispelled as Essex won by 376 runs.
Yorkshire were twice skittled, first for 111 as Harmer, Sam Cook, and Jamie Porter all took three wickets apiece, and then – chasing an improbable 451 – for just 74, as Cook returned figures of 5/20.
It gave the Eagles the additional honour of becoming just the second county champions in history to go through a full season without defeat.
While Essex may have lifted three red-ball trophies during the partnership with Cloud, there was also the small matter of a Vitality Blast win in 2019 too.
The signs that something special might be about to befall the Eagles that year were there from the start, as in the first home game of the campaign, Cameron Delport thrashed a barely-believable 129*.
Coming in just 49 balls after rain had reduced the match to 15 overs per side, Delport’s knock stunned the visiting Surrey bowlers, with all but one of their six-strong attack conceding more than 12 per over.
He struck three figures in just 38 balls, leading the Eagles to a mammoth 226-5, before Matt Quinn and Shane Snater shared five wickets to hold Surrey to a comparatively paltry 174-7.
Essex may have started the campaign in stunning fashion, but when crunch time of the group stage hit, the Eagles needed to dig deep – and thank fate – to get over the line.
Delport again starred, striking 64 as the hosts posted 189-6, before a sterling bowling performance, in which four members of the attack all took at least two wickets, bowled the Spitfires out for 179.
Essex’s biggest rivals were threatening to spoil any hopes of progression at 150-3 in the 16th over, but the dismissal of Zak Crawley for 89 sparked a remarkable collapse of 7/29 to see the Eagles through.
What’s more, had Hampshire not slipped up against basement side Glamorgan, the Eagles would still have been out – but thankfully, the Welsh side eked out a 28-run win, and the rest is now history…
Surrey may have lifted the Championship trophy in 2018, but by the following year, they were utterly demolished by a rampant Essex, who were bent on reclaiming the title they had won two years prior.
In the penultimate game of the season, the Eagles secured victory by an innings and 40 runs to put themselves in the box seat ahead of a crucial decider away to Somerset the week after.
Twin five-fors from Porter and Cook rattled Surrey out for just 174, before Essex racked up a first-innings lead of 221; after that, Harmer again did his usual to take 7/58 and again skittle the Brown Caps for 181.
There was the small matter of a Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston to deal with first, but the huge victory meant that Essex headed to Taunton needing just a draw to guarantee the crown.
Four years after Essex had crushed Yorkshire to crown off a Championship-winning season, the Eagles again thrashed the White Rose with a complete performance.
Having finished second to Durham in Group A of the competition, Essex’s reward was a home tie against the side who had finished third in Group B.
Josh Rymell’s hundred from the top of the order, alongside contributions from Tom Westley, Paul Walter, and Adam Wheater, saw the Eagles rack up an impressive 317-7.
In reply, Westley and Jack Plom each took three wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 188, with only Matthew Revis passing 40, sealing safe passage to the last four.
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Over 10,000 tickets for the 2025 Men's and Women's Vitality Blast at Chelmsford have already been snapped up, before general sale has even been reached.
In a continued underlining of the Essex faithful’s incredible support, that represents more than a third of the total number of tickets available this summer.
If you attended a Blast game in 2024, your priority window opened on Wednesday – but act quickly, because over 5,000 of your fellow supporters secured their seats in the space of 24 hours on that day!
If you didn’t attend in 2024, but you’re still keen to get your hands on tickets for this summer, don’t worry, because there is one final priority window that opens in one week’s time.
By signing up to the Club’s ‘Over & Out!’ e-newsletter, you will receive priority access from Thursday 06 February, giving you just under a fortnight to get your summer sorted before tickets go on general sale.
Don't want the uncertainty of racing to get the best seats and missing out? We don't blame you!
This week is the biggest of the year for T20 ticket sales and it can be hard to secure the seats you want for the most popular matches.
You can avoid the hassle and purchase a Blast Pass from £180 today and get entry to all 14 Men's and Women's Vitality Blast fixtures at Chelmsford in 2025.
With Blast Passes almost sold out, make sure you don't miss a moment of the action by securing yours now.
Tickets to this summer’s Vitality Blast are now on sale to 2024 purchasers.
The 2025 season promises a Blast that is bigger than ever before, with 14 matches set to take place across Essex Men’s and Women’s teams at Chelmsford.
If you bought tickets last year, today is now officially your day to secure your seats for another unmissable summer of cricket.
Both Essex Men and Women kick off their home campaigns with a double-header against Somerset on Sunday 01 June, and the action in CM2 will run through to Friday 18 July.
Today marks the biggest day of T20 ticket sales of the year, so if you have an active priority window make sure to use it!
If you aren’t yet eligible to purchase your tickets, don’t worry – there is one final chance to jump the queue before general sale on Wednesday 19 February.
Subscribers to the Club’s ‘Over & Out’ e-newsletter will receive access to the final priority window, which opens on Thursday 06 February.
Sign up today and lock yourself in for priority access to tickets ahead of general sale, as well as being the first to hear all the latest breaking news, match previews, interviews, and more from Essex Cricket throughout the year.
Don't want the uncertainty of racing to get the best seats and missing out? We don't blame you!
Today is the biggest day of the year for T20 ticket sales and it can be hard to secure the seats you want for the most popular matches.
You can avoid the hassle and purchase a Blast Pass from £180 today and get entry to all 14 Men's and Women's Vitality Blast fixtures at Chelmsford in 2025.
With over 600 Blast Passes snapped up and the remaining limited number still selling fast, make sure you don't miss a moment of the action by securing yours now.
Essex Second XI will begin their 2025 season with three multi-day friendly matches against Somerset, the South Asian Cricket Academy, and Warwickshire, all hosted at Colchester & East Essex CC.
The three matches, which will be three, two, and four days in length, respectively, are part of a block of six friendlies that will start the season for the Eagles’ second-string.
Away matches at Middlesex, and Kent will follow the three openers, with a further home match, at Billericay CC, against Yorkshire in between.
Competitive action for the 2nd XI starts with seven T20s, the first of which will be against Surrey at Garon Park in Southend, with further home matches against Middlesex (Billericay) and Hampshire (Garon Park) following.
The Eagles will also be on the road to face Kent – in a double-header at Beckenham – Hampshire, Sussex, and Middlesex in the shortest format, before their involvement in the Second XI Championship begins.
Matches against Gloucestershire and Leicestershire, at Rockhampton CC and Billericay respectively, mark the start of the red-ball competition in earnest, before a July that sees a mix of Championship and T20 action.
The season is rounded out in September with a final pair of matches, namely a Championship clash with Sussex and a three-day friendly against Middlesex.
From priority ticketing for matches at our iconic HQ in Chelmsford to special events, and opportunities to engage with players and coaching staff, your Membership offers a unique opportunity to join the Club throughout the 2025 season.
Purchase your 2025 Membership now by clicking the link below, or by calling the Ticket and Membership Office on 01245 254010 between 10am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
Sam Cook was a crucial part of England Lions’ squad once again in the drawn second four-day match against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane as he formed one half of a match-saving last-wicket partnership.
With the Lions requiring a difficult 337 in their second innings to win the match at Allan Border Field following Tim Ward’s century for the hosts, they slipped to 146-6 to leave them in recovery mode.
When the ninth wicket went down with 91 still needed – or, more likely, 7.3 overs still to survive – Cook joined Josh Tongue at the crease, but was able to valiantly defy the home attack with an unbeaten eight off 25 balls.
Contained within that was a glance through backward square for four off spinner Hugo Burdon that brought up the Lions’ 250, before a final maiden from Tongue, who finished unbeaten on 19, completed the job.
Not many would have expected the Lions to need to battle that hard, especially considering they had secured a first-innings lead of 105, thanks in no small part to Rocky Flintoff’s century that pulled them from 161-7 to 319 all out.
Cook was also a key part of that, having complemented Pat Brown’s five-wicket haul, which included a hat-trick, by taking 2/31 as the Australians were bowled out for 214.
However, despite Flintoff’s counter-attacking 108 off just 127 balls that included 15 boundaries, of which six were sixes, and a further 4/47 for Cook in their second innings, the hosts were unbowed.
Led by Ward’s 120 – his second ton in as many games – and half-centuries from Jack Clayton, Nivethan Radhakrishan, and Ryan Hackney, the latter of whom was unbeaten – the Australians declared on 441-9.
There was some resistance from Matty Hurst and James Coles, who hit 53 and 67, respectively after the Lions had been reduced to 84-5, but by the time they both departed, there were still more than 20 overs left in the day.
Fortunately for the tourists, Flintoff and full England regular Shoaib Bashir were able to see out 14 of those between them, before Tongue and Cook took up the mantle to secure the draw late on.
As a Member of Essex, you’ll gain access to a host of exclusive benefits.
From priority ticketing for matches at our iconic HQ in Chelmsford to special events, and opportunities to engage with players and coaching staff, your Membership offers a unique opportunity to join the Club throughout the 2025 season.
Purchase your 2025 Membership now by clicking the link below, or by calling the Ticket and Membership Office on 01245 254010 between 10am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
Both Essex Men and Women will separately fly to Abu Dhabi in March 2025 for pre-season tours.
As preparation ramps up for the 2025 season, the Eagles Men's side will be joined in the Emirati capital by Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, and Yorkshire.
In similar circumstances to the 2024 tour, the five counties will participate in a three-day T20 festival before each playing a two-day red-ball match, all taking place at the Zayed Cricket Academy complex.
The tour will be the first opportunity for new Director of Cricket Chris Silverwood to work with the full squad.
In addition, a tour to the same destination will follow from 25 March for Essex Women, whose first game as a fully-professional side is set for 23 April.
Members and fans wishing to watch the Men's side in action in the sunnier climes before the season begins in earnest can book their trips through Sporta Tours.
The full details of what the spectators' package entails, as well as how to register your interest, can be found by clicking below:
