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Throughout the winter months, we’ll be checking in with some of our players overseas to see how they’re getting on, what they’re up to and how they’re preparing for the 2020 campaign.

Will Buttleman is currently out in Sydney playing for Northen Districts Cricket Club. He made his debut for the side in a T20 match last Sunday and scored 70 from 36 balls to help them record victory over rivals Penrith.

See what Will has to say Sydney and his training down below:

Hi guys, Will Buttleman here. I am currently out in Sydney playing Grade Cricket for Northern Districts Cricket Club. During the week I am attending the International Cricket Programme three times a week which is an intense training programme with other cricketers from the UK.

The training is very well structured and the coaching staff available to the players is quality. We get to train in some of Sydney’s best facilities and the wide variety of net surfaces available challenges us in so many different ways.

The training sessions have been exceptional so far and the quality of the players in each grade is very high. On a normal training day, the session plans allows me to improve all aspects of my game in detail with specific coaches from the Sydney area. Some of the coaches have first-class and international experience for Australia. They are very open on offering advice to all the players on the programme and have helped me in many ways already especially on my batting and wicket-keeping.

Away from the cricket, it’s only a short drive to beaches like Bondi and Coogee so after training most of the boys head straight there for a relax and a swim in the sea. Not a bad way to recover from training!

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has today announced that next season’s Champion County match against Essex will be held in Sri Lanka.

The traditional curtain-raiser to the new English domestic season, which dates back to 1970 in its current guise, will be played at the Galle International Stadium between 24th and 27th March 2020.

The Champion County match, which sees MCC play the winners of the Specsavers County Championship in a four-day first-class match, was played at Lord’s until 2010 when the match first moved abroad.

It was hosted by the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi until 2018, when it was played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Earlier this year, MCC faced Surrey at the Global Cricket Academy in Dubai.

Sri Lanka has been identified for a number of reasons and MCC’s World Cricket committee will also meet there in March, timed to coincide with England’s World Test Championship matches in the country.

John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, said: “The Champion County match is an important part of MCC’s commitment to maintaining a strong presence in the long-form game both domestically and globally. As always, MCC will put out a talented and exciting team in this fixture, providing strong opposition for this season’s County Championship winners. MCC would like to thank Sri Lanka Cricket for their support, co-operation and enthusiasm in hosting this fixture and we are excited to be working closely with them.”

Former Sri Lanka international Kumar Sangakkara will captain MCC in the match. He became MCC’s first overseas President on 1st October this year, further strengthening the Club’s links with the island nation.

Members of MCC’s team for the Champion County match will visit the MCC Centre of Excellence near Galle, funded by the Club and set up by the Foundation of Goodness to provide sustainable facilities to the surrounding communities.

Kumar Sangakkara, MCC President, said: “It is hugely important to support cricket in countries such as Sri Lanka and taking the Champion County match to Galle is a fantastic way for the Club to provide its backing for the game on a global level. With England touring the country during the same period, this will make for an exciting sequence of events in Sri Lanka and, as one of the best cricketing destinations in the world, it will be a wonderful occasion for all involved. I am looking forward to playing for and indeed captaining the MCC team, which will be full of exciting young talent ready to challenge the County Champions.”

Mr. Shammi Silva, President of Sri Lanka Cricket, said: “Sri Lanka Cricket wish to thank MCC for choosing Sri Lanka as its venue to play the MCC Champion County Match in 2020, which we consider as an honour and a privilege bestowed upon the cricket loving public of our country. We are happy to be the host of this historic encounter, which marks the curtain-raiser to the new English domestic season. It is also very fitting that this team is led by none other than our own Kumar Sangakkara, who has recently become the first non-British MCC President.”

Essex County Cricket Club are pleased to announce that Sam Cook has signed a two-year contract extension and will stay with the Club until the end of the 2022 season.

The right-arm seamer had an impressive campaign in 2019, taking 38 wickets across all formats as the Club went on to win the County Championship for the second time in three seasons as well as the Vitality Blast.

The 22-year-old made his first-class debut back in 2016 and has become an integral part of Anthony McGrath’s bowling attack as well as a fan favourite at The Cloudfm County Ground.

Cook is delighted to put pen to paper and said: “I’m over the moon to be signing an extension until 2022.

“Committing my future to the Club was an easy decision and is the perfect way to end a perfect season.

“We have a determined dressing room full of players that want to build on our success and regularly challenge for honours, and I’m excited for the next few years and to be a part of it.”

Head Coach Anthony McGrath is also thrilled to see Cook prolong his stay and said: “Sam is a fantastic bowler who played a big role in our success last year.

“He’s become extremely reliable and consistent and is a vital part of our side. It’s great news for everyone at the Club that he’s signed an extension and we’re looking forward to seeing him develop even further over the coming years.”

Well, what a season that was!

After being made Head Coach two years ago, I wanted to follow in Chris Silverwood’s footsteps and deliver more success to the Club whilst writing new history, and we certainly achieved that this year. Being the first side ever to complete a T20 and County Championship double in the same season is some accomplishment, and something that everyone at Essex should be proud of.

That first game of the season against Hampshire in early April seems like a lifetime ago now. We lost, by an innings and 87 runs. Although it was a defeat, and it hurt, it was probably a good thing. It set the bar for us, we knew what we were up against and what we’d have to do for the remainder of the season if we wanted to be successful.

After that game, we got our heads down and got on a roll, and once the momentum was with us, we felt unstoppable. To go undefeated in the 13 games that followed, winning 9 of them, is a serious triumph and the boys should take great pride in their red-ball achievements this season.

One of the things I’m most proud of is that every player in that dressing room pulled their weight and stepped up at one point or another. As a Head Coach, knowing you have a squad full of players willing to give their all is all you can ask for, and I’m lucky enough to have that in abundance with this group of players.

Not many people gave us a chance when it came to the Vitality Blast, so it’s really satisfying to silence all of those doubters who wrote us off before a ball was bowled. We had a new T20 Captain this year in Simon Harmer, and I don’t think we could have asked for much more from him. He had a lot of important decisions to make and he wanted to do things his way, but once his methods were implemented in the team we saw immediate success.

The campaign was a bit stop-start due to the weather and we had four washed out games, but once we put a string of results together, we played some amazing cricket. Again, like in the Championship, every player played their part. All the batsmen scored runs during the competition whilst it felt like every one of our bowlers was doing damage with the ball.

Finals Day itself is something that will always live with me and the players and the staff at the Club. We knew going into the day at Edgbaston that Essex had never won it before, and we all really wanted to make that happen. The scenes in the ground when Harmy hit those winning runs on the final ball were unbelievable and to have a huge following supporting us meant an awful lot. More than anything, I’m so pleased that we were able to deliver the title for the fans.

I’ve always said that Essex has a uniqueness to it, the players, the staff and the fans have a togetherness which you can feel the moment you step into the ground. During the season that relationship was as clear as ever, with fans travelling all over the country to support the side. For the players out there competing, that support is what makes the difference and helps get them over the line and ultimately, win trophies.

I hope you can continue to support the team and myself in the same way when the season restarts in April. Everyone in the dressing room wants to win more silverware and create more memories for themselves and the fans that will last a lifetime.

I look forward to seeing you around The Cloudfm County Ground in 2020 and once again, thank you for your loyal support.

Have your say on the state of the game today and Wisden’s editorial by taking the Wisden Reader Survey 2019.

As a thank you for taking this survey, Wisden will choose respondents at random to win a host of prizes including Test match tickets and a Vitality Blast season ticket. A full list of prizes can be found here.

If you read Wisden Cricket Monthly or wisden.com, or you follow Wisden on social media, you’re invited to complete the full survey here.

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It’s been quite the year for Sam Cook. The 22-year-old recorded 38 wickets across all formats, his highest tally in a season, with Essex becoming the first side in history to win the T20 and County Championship double in the same season, and the Chelmsford-born bowler admits everything still sinking in.

“It’s still taking a bit of time to get my head around what we have achieved this season,” Cook said, “to back up the first title in 2017 with this one is an incredible effort from this group of players and I think it signifies that we are the top red-ball county in the game right now.

“To win the T20 is also a real bonus too. It’s something that you dream of growing up after watching in on television. It was an amazing day and one I will never forget.

“At the start of the season we set out to try and win all three trophies with a genuine belief we could. But still, you need a lot of things to go your way and a lot of big performances to achieve that.

“If someone had said to me three years ago you’d have won two County Championships and a T20 Blast, two being part of a double, I’d have laughed in their face. But saying that, at the start of this year I probably wouldn’t have been that surprised simply because of the faith I and the whole team have in our dressing room.”

The heroics at Edgbaston which saw the Eagles claim a maiden T20 title will live long in the memory, but Cook didn’t actually think he would be playing on the day.

He said: “Well where do I start about Finals Day? It was a completely crazy time to be honest. I hadn’t played in the semi-final but Harmy mentioned to me briefly after to be ready for the Final, but I didn’t really expect to be playing.

“It wasn’t until about a minute before we went out for the warmup that Mags grabbed me and said you’re in. I didn’t really have time to process it as we were straight out getting ready to the tune of Mr Motivator!”

It was a tense Final and there were wild celebrations as Simon Harmer scored the winning runs on the last ball, with Cook saying: “I think that the few minutes of footage and in the hours afterwards show just what this Club is all about. Not just celebrating as a team but the whole squad, support staff, families and all the fans that made the trip.

“This is a huge family Club and it’s a complete team effort, and by team, that’s not just the eleven on the pitch playing.”

The T20 side were led by Simon Harmer this year, and Cook was full of praise for his teammate, saying: “I think his stats speak for themselves, he really is a world-class performer and arguably the best off-spinner in the world right now.

“As a person, he’s equally great too and he always keeps the boys going both on and off the field.”

Harmer picked up several awards at the Club’s End of Season Gala Dinner in September, where Little Chef also claimed the First XI Young Player of the Year for the second successive year.

Cook was naturally pleased and said: “That was also a real highlight for me, to be recognised by the Club for your achievements on the field is always a great boost so I was really delighted.”

There we so many standout moments this season for the Club, and Cook found it impossible to pinpoint just one highpoint, saying: “There were obviously so many, but if I had to pick a few it would be the quarter-final win against Lancashire Lightning at Durham, obviously Finals Day, and then the bus journey back from Taunton…”

The 22-year-old modestly left out his performance against Kent at Canterbury, in which he took an outstanding 12 wickets for just 65 runs with Kent being bowled out for 40 in their second innings.

Cook’s performance helped Essex secure a vital victory towards the end of the season, and he said: “To pick up 5 wickets in the first innings was a massive relief for me after being out injured for a while before that.

“Come the second innings though, I knew with the state of the game we simply had to bowl them out for next to nothing, so it was a case of bowling some really attacking areas with aggressive field settings too.

“It all happened pretty quickly, but in the context of the season I think it was a key point in keeping up on Somerset’s heels.”

Following on from another successful campaign, there have been murmurings of an England Lions call-up for Cook, on which he commented: “I mean, that’s something you’re always striving for as a young player, so to receive a call-up would be nice.

“At the minute though I’m just concentrating on taking wickets for Essex and hopefully with that comes higher honours at some stage.”

The triumphs Essex achieved this year were unprecedented, and Cook is confident that the side can reclaim the trophies in 2020, commenting: “We want to defend our titles and continue with the mindset of trying to win all three.

“As a group, we have said that we really want to dominate the County Championship for the foreseeable future, and I think we’re moving on the right track. I think now we want to try and transfer that into our white-ball cricket and aim for a similar degree of consistency throughout those campaigns.”

On his own goals for next season, Cook keeps it nice and straightforward, saying: “I try to keep it really simple, and just set out to play as many games as I possibly can and in doing that, the wickets should be taking care of themselves.”

After coming through the Essex Academy himself, the seamer is tipping a few more homegrown players to have successful campaigns in 2020.
“We’ve got some really exciting young talent,” he said, “for the young lads coming through, I think Ben Allison has a big future ahead of him and I don’t think it’ll be too long until we see him in the First Team.

“I think Michael Pepper isn’t too far away either, he’s put in some outstanding performances in the Second XI and we’ve seen glimpses of that in the First Team. But on a whole, we’ve got a squad with youth and depth, so the future is certainly looking bright.”

Essex County Cricket Club are delighted to announce that Ryan ten Doeschate has signed a one-year contract extension and will stay with the Club until the end of the 2020 season.

The 39-year-old had another impressive season in 2019, captaining his side to the County Championship title for the second time in three years, whilst also playing a key role in the Eagles’ Vitality Blast campaign, helping to clinch a first T20 title.

The Dutchman joined Essex back in 2003 and has become a hugely popular figure with both his teammates and the fans at The Cloudfm County Ground.

In 2016, during his first season as Club Captain, ten Doeschate led Essex back to Division One. The following year he and his team defied all the odds to secure a first County Championship title in 25 years, and he once again guided the Club to County Championship glory in 2019.

The skipper said: “I’m really pleased to extend my contract at the Club and my affinity for Essex and the players just grows stronger and stronger.

“We had an amazing season in 2019, but we’re constantly striving to improve and we want to build on our success.

“I’m excited about the challenges and battles we’ll face in 2020, and I’m looking forward to giving my all in what will hopefully another successful year.”

Head Coach Anthony McGrath is also thrilled to see ten Doeschate prolong his stay and said: “Ryan is a huge player for us, both on the field and in the dressing room, so we are all delighted that he will be staying for at least another season.

“He’s a natural leader and has led this side to some fantastic achievements over recent years, and hopefully with any luck, there will be more to come.”

Essex County Cricket Club can today confirm that Ravi Bopara is set to leave the Club after failing to agree terms on a new contract.

Ravi has decided to pursue a fresh challenge after rejecting a new and improved contract and the Club wish him the best of luck in his future playing career.

He has been an unbelievable servant to the Club since coming through the Essex youth system. His time at the Club has spanned 18 years, after making his first-class debut in 2002 at just 17 years old.

He was awarded his County Cap in 2005, before being named the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year three years later in 2008.

The 34-year-old has been widely acclaimed as one of the most reliable and consistent batsmen to have played county cricket. He has scored 11,148 first-class runs for Essex at an average of 42.06, with his highest score of 229 coming against Northamptonshire at Chelmsford in 2007.

Bopara leaves the Club having played a total of 499 games for Essex across all formats. He has scored 101 half-centuries and converted 37 of them into three-figure scores during his 18 seasons with the Club.

He was a fundamental part of the Club’s recent triumphs, including the Pro40 League in 2005 and 2006, NatWest Trophy in 2008, Specsavers County Championship Division Two in 2016 and the Specsavers County Championship Division One in 2017 and 2019.

Most notably, Bopara leaves the Club on the back on a number of inspiring performances in the 2019 Vitality Blast campaign. In typical Bopara fashion, his innings of 36 not out off 22 balls in the Final against Worcestershire Rapids helped the Essex Eagles lift the trophy for the first time in the Club’s history.

Whilst at Essex, Ravi made 13 Test, 39 T20 and 120 ODI appearances for England, and notably hit three successive centuries against West Indies in 2009. He featured for England in their 2007, 2011 and 2015 World Cup campaigns as well as the 2014 T20 World Cup.

Essex Club Captain Ryan ten Doeschate said: “I speak for the team when I say we are very sad to see Rav leave the club after 18 years.

“Rav has always been extremely popular in the dressing room, combining unbelievable talent, skill, hard work, and a great cricket mind with a friendly, witty and comical demeanour.

“He’s been a great teammate and a fiercely loyal friend. I’m so pleased that he leaves on a high after playing the key role in the club winning our first T20 title. It will be strange to play against him next year, but we wish him all the very best at his new Club.”

The Club would like to thank Ravi for his fantastic contribution during his time at the Club and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

Essex legend Graham Gooch is currently taking on the Three Peaks Challenge, with current and former players meeting in Scotland this morning ahead of taking on the gruelling walk, which will see fundraisers climb three mountains in three days.

The physically demanding weekend will see 50 supporters summit Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in the space of three days over the course of this weekend (Friday 11 – Sunday 13 October). In total, that amounts to 26 miles walked and 3,407m climbed in three different countries.

Argentex, the foreign exchange specialists, have proudly partnered with the Three Peaks Challenge and it will not just be past and present cricketers who take to the mountains this weekend. Commercial partners, PCA staff, employees from the 18 first-class counties and supporters are set to give back to the game through the demanding trek.

All money raised will go towards two very worthy sporting charities in the form of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust and Tom Maynard Trust.

The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is professional cricket’s leading charity, which helps current and former players and their immediate families, when they have fallen on hard times. A number of beneficiaries have chosen to speak out about their experience of receiving support from the Trust, and you can find more information here.

Whilst the Cricketers’ Trust supports players during and after their playing days, the Tom Maynard Trust aims to educate young people in the emerging stages of their sporting career. The organisation aids the development of aspiring sportsmen and women by way of bursaries, provision of equipment and support for overseas placements, amongst other priorities, which include educating young sportspeople of the risks associated to top level sport.

PCA President and former England captain Graham Gooch, who previously supported the Cricketers’ Trust on his Coast 2 Coast walk in 2018, leads the names on taking on the challenge and is joined by four current England Women’s players.

In all, 23 PCA members will gather at the foot of Ben Nevis in the early hours of Friday morning and none more inspirational than Gloucestershire spinner Tom Smith who is taking on the challenge in memory of his late wife, Laura.

Earlier this summer, Smith explained his heart-breaking story and the support the Professional Cricketers’ Trust have provided his family. In a recent Instagram post, Smith said: “The Professional Cricketers’ Trust have supported us as a family by funding a nanny, helping with nursery fees and also providing physiological help to both me and Laura. The past 14 months have been incredibly tough since Laura died and I wouldn’t have been able to get through without this incredible charity’s support.”

One of the Directors of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust is PCA Chairman Daryl Mitchell who knows first-hand why this challenge is vitally important.

Mitchell said: “It is eye-opening to see the names of people who the Trust helps out. There’s a lot of guys who I’ve played against over the years as well as many who I’ve played with and have fallen on hard times. I see the amazing work the charity does first hand so it’s a huge and very rewarding part of the role of PCA Chairman to sit on the board of the Trust and see exactly where the money goes. It really does help some very worthwhile causes out there.

“It will be a tough challenge and I’m certainly not a mountain climber or a walker – I tend to do most of my work on flat cricket grounds. I completed Big Bike Ride 3 and the camaraderie of it all got me through so I’m looking forward to the togetherness of the group and spending three days with some really good people while raising crucial funds.”

Matt Maynard founded the Tom Maynard Trust after his son’s tragic passing in 2012 and is taking on his fourth joint challenge between the two charities and he said: “On Tom’s passing, we set up the Trust in his honour to try and help young sports people live their dream because that is what Tom was doing.

“It started out with helping young cricketers and it has since spread to education programmes in rugby union, golf, horse racing, netball and football. We concentrate on the start of someone’s career and obviously the Professional Cricketers’ Trust look after players throughout their entire lives.

“Both charities differ a lot in what they offer so it seems a really good fit.

“It will be a tough challenge, but it’s going to be fun and I think the bus journeys in particular could be absolutely brilliant. That’s what I’m looking forward to – a bit of camaraderie like we previously had on the bike rides.”

You can donate directly to the Three Peaks Challenge Just Giving page by clicking here..