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With pre-season in full swing, Club Captain Tom Westley sat down to discuss a number of topics.

Westley, who will himself fly to South Africa soon to spend time working on his game with Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie, spoke of the pleasure and pride he gets from seeing numerous Essex players turning out for franchise and club sides across the world.

He also shared his hopes and thoughts on both pre-season so far and the coming 2024 campaign, as well as his excitement at the arrivals of Dean Elgar and Jordan Cox.

Watch the full interview below:

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Essex youngsters Charlie Allison, Luc Benkenstein, and Noah Thain are all in the England squad for the Men’s Under-19 World Cup, which gets underway on Friday.

Alongside the trio, Mackenzie Jones will also don the colours of Scotland, who join England in Group B alongside hosts South Africa and West Indies.

Played at five venues across the country, the tournament will feature 16 teams split into four groups and will run from 19 January to 11 February.

The Three Lions and the Saltires, with their four Essex representatives between them, are in Group B and will both play all their group-stage matches at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, 75 miles south-west of Johannesburg.

England and Scotland kick their tournament off against one another on Saturday, before the Three Lions take on South Africa three days later, and finally entertain West Indies on 26 January.

Meanwhile, Scotland face the Windies on 24 January, and then the Proteas on 27 January, with the tournament being shown in the UK on Sky Sports.

Group B

England: Champions in 1998, England are one of five sides to have appeared in every edition of the U19 World Cup, and have won 53 of the 87 games they have played across the competition’s history.

They were runners-up in the last edition in the West Indies in 2022, defeated by four wickets by India in the Antigua final, but that represented a marked improvement on their ninth-place finish in 2020.

Alongside Allison, Benkenstein, and Thain, and under the captaincy of Ben McKinney, the Three Lions count Warwickshire’s Hamza Shaikh among their ranks, who hit 235 runs in an ODI series against Australia last summer.

Scotland: The UK neighbours have never met one another at under-19 level before, but will do so after the Scots won the European regional qualifier in August.

The Saltires topped the six-team group with four wins and a no result from their five games, beating Jersey, Norway, Italy, and host nation the Netherlands, and seeing a clash with Guernsey rained off.

Led by Owen Gould, and containing Jones in their ranks, Scotland’s top two run-scorers in the qualification tournament were Jamie Dunk, who totalled 244, and Alec Price, who amassed 208.

South Africa: Hosting the competition after the ICC moved it from its original venue of Sri Lanka, the Proteas will be appearing at their 14th tournament, and have previously won it on one occasion, in 2014.

Dewald Brevis was named player of the tournament and led the way in the run-scoring charts in 2022, though South Africa managed only a seventh-place finish and will hope to do better this time around on home soil.

Kwena Maphaka, the latest in a long line of top-level South African fast bowlers, will be appearing in his second successive World Cup and is touted as one to watch, as is powerful batter Steve Stolk.

West Indies: After the senior team missed out on the main Men’s World Cup last autumn, the Caribbean young guns will be hoping to restore some pride as they continue their run of appearing at all Under-19 tournaments.

They won the competition in 2016, but struggled to a disappointing 11th on home soil at the last event two years ago, and captain Stephan Pascal will hope to lead them to a better showing this time around.

Several players are tipped to catch the eye for the Windies, though batter Jordan Johnson and quick bowler Isai Thorne look to be the standout duo, with both having already made their First Class debuts.

Routes to the final

Should England and/or Scotland finish in the top three of their group, they will be mixed in the Super 6 stage with the sides who qualify from Group C, which contains Australia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.

Wins, points, and net run rate earned against the other qualifying teams will be carried forward, and if either or both sides make it, they will play the two Group C sides who finished in another position in the first group stage.

For example, if England top their group with three wins, they will carry forward two (the ones gained against the sides that join them) and they will then play the second- and third-placed teams from Group C.

Progress from that stage would require a top-two finish, with any possible semi-final then being against the side that finishes opposite (1st v 2nd) in the other Super 6 group.

Essex have been here before

Allison, Benkenstein, Jones, and Thain may be the latest Essex representatives at the U19 World Cup, but they are by no means the first.

In fact, 18 men have appeared at the competition while on the books at Chelmsford, starting with Nasser Hussain in the very first edition in 1988.

The second incarnation of the tournament, in 1998, saw no fewer than five then-Essex players called up to the England squad, including Graham Napier.

This year’s quartet are the first set of Eagles to play at the tournament since 2016, with the 18 also including the likes of Tom Westley, Ben Foakes, Alastair Cook, and Ravi Bopara.

Cast yourself back to years gone by with some shots from several notable Eagles’ U19 World Cup appearances:

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Essex are delighted to announce the signing of Dean Elgar on a three-year deal.

The seasoned batter, whose remarkable career in Test cricket for South Africa came to an end earlier this month, joins the Club ahead of the 2024 season.

Following his retirement from international cricket, Elgar joins Essex to contribute his wealth of experience and skill to the Club.

Elgar, 36, enjoyed an impressive Test career since making his debut for South Africa in 2012, scoring 5,347 runs across 86 matches.

He has scored 48 first-class centuries, including a blistering 185 against India on his home ground at Centurion in his final series for the Proteas.

His leadership qualities and experience at the highest level, combined with an exceptional batting prowess, will bolster the top order in the County Championship.

Expressing his enthusiasm about joining Essex, Elgar said: “I’m thrilled to embark on this new chapter of my cricketing journey with Essex.

“The Club have been pushing for honours in recent years and I’m eager to contribute to further success.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my previous experiences in county cricket and I’m really looking forward to joining up with the squad ahead of season.”

Essex Head Coach, Anthony McGrath, expressed his delight in welcoming Elgar to the Club: “Dean brings a wealth of talent and experience that will undoubtedly strengthen our squad for the 2024 season,” he said.

“He has had an outstanding career in Test cricket and has demonstrated to the world his desire to score runs at the highest level, right up until he retired.

“His achievements in the international arena speak volumes about his capabilities and we are excited to witness his impact at Essex.”

Elgar joins Jordan Cox as the Club’s new signings ahead of the 2024 season and his arrival signifies an exciting period on the field.

Both players will join up with their new teammates for the pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi in March, before the opening match of the 2024 season on Friday 05 April against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship.

Become a Member in 2024

Membership packages for the upcoming season are on sale now and include a special early bird price when purchased before January 31.

Join today and you can also take advantage of the Vitality Blast Members’ ticket priority which is now open. This will give you access to discounted T20 tickets before they go on public sale later this month!

>> View packages & prices – here

Over a 12-year career representing his country, Dean Elgar carved out a stellar reputation as one of the world’s best batters, able to wear down a new ball and a bowling attack before cashing in.

He scored more than 5,000 Test runs in a South African shirt across 86 matches since his debut in 2012 and, following his decision to step back from the international game, he is set to begin a new chapter in Chelmsford.

This is a look over the cricketing journey of Essex’s newest addition, by the numbers.

Carrying his bat three times

Elgar is renowned across the world as a gritty, solid opener who prizes his wicket, borne out by the fact he is one of only two men in Test history to remain not out throughout an entire innings on three separate occasions.

In March 2018, he matched former West Indies captain Desmond Haynes by ending South Africa’s first innings against Australia in Cape Town unbeaten on 141 – a game tarred by the visitors’ ball-tampering scandal.

The 36-year-old’s previous marathon effort of resistance had come only two months earlier, as he made 86 not out in the Johannesburg Test against India, having first achieved the feat in Durban against England in 2015.

His repeated successes are further underlined by the fact that Gary Kirsten is the only other South African to carry his bat post-readmission, and that all other South Africans combined have accomplished it only five times.

A Test top score of 199

In September 2017, Elgar crushed the Bangladesh attack in the first Test in Potchefstroom with a sparkling knock that saw South Africa pile up 496-3 declared in their first innings.

He may have just missed out on a double century, but a 388-ball stay at the crease, that included 15 fours and three sixes, underlined his class.

Elgar shared in two monstrous stands throughout his innings, first putting on an opening stand of 196 with Aiden Markram, before adding 215 for the second wicket with Hashim Amla.

His efforts helped South Africa secure a crushing 333-run victory, and they went on not just to whitewash the two-match Test series, but also to win all three ODIs and two T20Is on the white ball leg of the tour too.

Sixth-highest South African century-maker

That huge knock against Bangladesh was one of 14 hundreds that Elgar amassed while playing for his country, a number that puts him joint-sixth in the South African rankings.

He is level with Daryll Cullinan and Herschelle Gibbs, and is joined in the top ten by such legends as Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, and AB de Villiers.

Elgar’s first century, an unbeaten 103, came in January 2013 against New Zealand, and he went on to hit hundreds against eight of the other 11 Test playing nations.

Kallis’s record of 45 tons, 17 clear of Amla in second, will stand for a long time yet, but the now-retired Elgar retains a deserved spot among those South African greats.

Just three balls to get an ODI wicket

Although most of Elgar’s international achievements came in the Test arena, he still represented South Africa in eight One Day Internationals, and proved himself a handy bowler in the format too.

In August 2012, bowling left-arm spin against England in Southampton in just his second appearance in the format, he picked up the wicket of Craig Kieswetter with his third delivery, caught by Graeme Smith in the slips.

Elgar went on to finish with figures of 1/11 from three overs as South Africa won the game by 80 runs thanks to Hashim Amla’s 150.

He would continue bowling short spells throughout the rest of the series, and picked up his second and final scalp in the fourth ODI at Lord’s, pinning Jonathan Trott lbw for 48.

Five years as the world’s most prolific opener

Elgar was given the chance to make the opening spot his own in 2014 following the retirement of Graeme Smith, and he did so with aplomb, being the leading Test run-scorer among openers between 2016 and 2021.

During that time period, he hit over 3,000 of his Test runs at an average of 41, defying a ball-tampering scandal by Australia and a dustbowl in Visakhapatnam where he countered Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

He defied an England push for victory at the Oval in 2017 with a typically defensive 136, and continued to show his dedication by filling in for Faf du Plessis as captain on separate occasions in 2017 and 2019.

Elgar would end his international career having established himself both as the legendary Smith’s successor and also as one of South Africa’s most prolific openers in his own right.

Essex and South Africa may be separated by well over 5,000 miles and have a sea, two entire continents, and the Equator between them, but through the cricketing histories of both, a strong relationship has developed.

Once Dean Elgar takes to the field for his Eagles debut in a little under three months’ time, no fewer than nine internationally-capped Proteas will have pulled on an Essex shirt since Lee Irvine became the first in 1968.

That will put the country in third place on the list of overseas nations to have supplied the most capped players to the Eagles, behind only Australia (14) and New Zealand (10).

In honour of Elgar’s arrival, this is a look back into history at some of Essex’s most storied South African signings.

Simon Harmer

Essex have had their fair share of instrumental overseas signings, from Keith Boyce to the Flower brothers with Allan Border and Mark Waugh mixed in for good measure.

However, the exploits of a right-arm off-spinner from Pretoria for the Eagles over the past seven seasons have perhaps surpassed even those legends of the world game.

Simon Harmer took 92 all-format wickets in his debut season in 2017, 74 of which were in the red-ball arena at an average of just 19.31, as his wizardry led the Eagles to their first County Championship title in 25 years.

He has hardly looked back since, and in 2019, he was again pivotal, picking up 107 scalps in all formats and hitting the winning runs as captain in the T20 final, as Essex completed an unprecedented Championship-Blast double.

The 34-year-old is tied down at Chelmsford for at least another two years, giving him ample opportunity to add even more wickets to the 569 he has already totalled in Essex colours.

Ken McEwan

Up to the point of Harmer making his ongoing charge to be called Essex’s best South African import, the title would likely have gone to bullish batter McEwan, who played for the club between 1974 and 1985.

Hailing from the small town of Bedford in the centre of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, 125 miles north of Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), he was coached by future England captain Tony Greig in his youth.

While never internationally capped, he remained an eye-catching player, and he made the most of being able to represent Essex continuously for over a decade, totalling 556 appearances.

Having struck 26,439 runs, which included 65 centuries, for Essex, McEwan opted to return to his homeland and called time on his stint with the club after turning 33, but not before giving the Chelmsford faithful a parting gift.

In his last outing, at home to Yorkshire in September 1985, he top-scored with 62 to help seal a dramatic two-wicket win and see Essex to their second consecutive Sunday League trophy.

Hashim Amla

Instantly recognisable from his flowing beard, Hashim Amla retired from all formats 12 months ago after a 23-year career that saw him establish himself as one of his country’s greatest-ever batters.

Calm and composed at the crease and praised for his range of shots paired with impressive focus, he holds the highest individual Test score by a South African after amassing 311 against England at the Oval in 2012.

It was three years prior, however, that the then-26-year-old Amla spent a short stint at Essex in July 2009, playing three County Championship and two Pro40 matches and averaging an enormous 90.50 across both formats.

His debut came at home to Glamorgan in the former competition, and he made an instant impact with a monstrous 181 in the second innings, underlining his concentration as his innings lasted almost seven hours.

The Durban-born batter went on to ton up twice more in his other four matches, notching a Nelson of 111 against Sussex in his 40-over debut, before signing off with another Championship century of 118 against Leicestershire.

Dale Steyn

While not many people would question Amla’s standing as one of South Africa’s greatest batters, perhaps even fewer would dare to argue against the fearsome Dale Steyn being worthy of the same status with the ball.

Born in the town of Phalaborwa in Limpopo, South Africa’s northernmost province, his express pace terrorised batters worldwide during his peak, during which he spent five years as the world’s number one-ranked bowler.

Like Amla, it was just before he hit that peak that Steyn signed for Essex, doing so for six weeks in 2005 – five months after his Test debut – during which he played in six Championship and three List A games.

His Essex bow, which came in the Championship at home to Leicestershire, brought the then-21-year-old three wickets, with two of his first scalps in English cricket being compatriots Hylton Ackerman and Claude Henderson.

Steyn would go on to pick up a total of 18 wickets across the nine games he played, before ending his stint with a swashbuckling 82 with the bat as a nightwatchman in his final game against Durham.

André Nel

Cut from a similarly competitive cloth to Steyn, fast bowler André Nel became renowned for his full-throated approach on the field, a trait he brought with him throughout his three separate stints at Chelmsford.

Anyone capable of dismissing Brian Lara once would deserve recognition, so the fact that Nel managed it eight times in Test cricket brought attention, and he signed for his first Essex spell at the peak of his powers, aged 28.

Hailing from Germiston, a city on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg, Nel’s life in Essex could hardly have got off to a better start as he took a wicket with his very first ball, bowling Somerset opener Matt Wood in Colchester.

He again removed Wood, for a pair, in the visitors’ second innings, and went on to pick up six wickets during his first short spell, returning for a much longer period of time in 2007 and then again in 2008.

In all, Nel claimed 35 all-format wickets for the Eagles, and following his retirement as a player, he returned to Chelmsford as Assistant Head Coach and Bowling Coach for three years between 2019 and 2021.
 

Vitality Blast tickets and Blast Passes for the 2024 season are now on sale to Essex Members.

Members are the first group to receive exclusive access to this season’s T20 tickets and can be purchased from a discounted price of just £15. 

The Members’ priority window for T20 tickets will last until Thursday 25 January, when T20 ticket holders from last season will be able to purchase – see below for a full list of on sale dates.

Also available from today to Members are Vitality Blast Passes. Buying a Blast Pass will secure one seat to all seven home group stage fixtures at a discounted rate to buying individual match tickets.

Blast Passes are on sale from £92 for Members and will go on sale to last year’s Blast Pass holders from Friday 12 January before going on general sale on Friday 19 January. 

Members can purchase Vitality Blast tickets and Blast Passes by clicking the button below and signing into their Member account. Tickets are also available over the phone on 01245 254010 (phone lines open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm) or by visiting the Membership and Ticketing Team to purchase tickets in person from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Become a Member today & jump the queue for Vitality Blast tickets

You can beat the queue by becoming a Member today and enjoying a host of other benefits. These include a discount on your T20 tickets, entry to all other formats this year and access to Members facilities during your visit to The Cloud County Ground.

By purchasing your Membership today, you will be entered straight into the priority window for T20 tickets and Season Blast Passes before they go on sale to the public later this month.

You will also receive an early bird discount on your Membership by purchasing before Wednesday 31 January 2024.

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If Membership isn’t for you, but you still want to be entered into a Vitality Blast priority window. Sign up to our FREE Over & Out! emails and receive priority access to T20 tickets from Thursday 08 February.

Vitality Blast on sale dates

• Thursday 11 January: Members’ Priority | Tickets and Blast Pass
• Friday 12 January: 2023 Blast Pass Holders Priority | Blast Pass
• Wednesday 17 January: Blast Pass Pre-Registrations | Blast Pass
• Friday 19 January: Blast Pass General Sale | Blast Pass
• Thursday 25 January: 2023 Ticket Holders Priority (online only) | Tickets
• Thursday 08 February: Over & Out! e-news Subscriber Priority (online only) | Tickets
• Wednesday 01 May: Early Bird Window Closes

Essex 2nd XI have learned their schedule for the 2024 season and will kick off their campaign with an away Championship fixture against Kent, beginning on Monday 08 April.

A three-day friendly against the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) in Billericay from Monday 22 April will form the Eagles’ first home outing of the season, in between further away games against Warwickshire and Hampshire.

A clash with Somerset will be Essex’s first home match in the 2nd XI Championship, before a run of six T20 games begins with a trip to Horsham to face Sussex on Wednesday 22 May.

Barry Hyam’s side will then return home to Garon Park in Southend the next day for their first home T20 match against Middlesex.

A mid-summer Championship match at home to Lancashire, from Monday 17 June, and another friendly against SACA punctuate the blocks of T20, before the format resumes with a home game against Hampshire on 01 July.

Second XI T20 Finals Day will take place on Tuesday 16 July, a week on from the Eagles’ final group stage game against Surrey in Southend.

A 50-over friendly away to Kent on Thursday 18 July then precipitates the season pausing for a month, before the resumption on Monday 19 August sees the start of a run of four season-concluding Championship matches.

Gloucestershire are the first opposition in that run, hosting Hyam’s side in Rockhampton, before three home games, all in Billericay, bring the season to an end.

Having entertained Sussex and Surrey in consecutive weeks, the curtain will fall on 2024 after a fixture against Middlesex from Monday 09 September.
 

The Essex Cricket Store and Membership & Ticketing Office will reopen at 9am on Monday 07 January following the festive break.

The Cricket Store currently has a wide range of clothing and merchandise on sale in the New Year, as well as the new ‘winter range’ that includes gloves, scarf, hat and blanket.

The Membership & Ticketing Office will also be open from Monday ahead of Vitality Blast tickets going on sale from Thursday 11 January for Members.

Supporters can still purchase tickets and Memberships online but please feel free to visit us at the ground for assistance, including renewals and ticket purchases for the upcoming season. Staff members will be on hand to help with Membership packages and an opportunity to pick your tickets for the matches currently on sale, including England Women, County Championship and One Day Cup.

The Club will resume regular out of season opening hours from Monday, which are as below:

Essex Cricket Store:

• Monday-Thursday: 9am-5:30pm
• Friday: 9am-4pm
• Saturday: 9am-2pm
• Sunday: Closed

Membership & Ticketing Office:

• Monday-Thursday: 9am-5pm (Phone lines open 10am-4pm)
• Friday: 9am-4pm (Phone lines open 10am-4pm)
• Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Visit our online store now – here

Essex Cricket can today announce the ticket prices for the upcoming 2024 season, bringing you closer to the action across multiple formats.

Our aim is to make the cricketing experience accessible to all with a range of categories and prices across formats.

• £10 Junior Tickets: Our junior prices across all formats have been capped to just £10 for standard tickets making it more affordable for young Eagles fans and families to attend matches in 2024.

Alternatively, our Junior Membership packages give fans under 18 years old access to all Championship, One Day Cup and domestic women’s games throughout 2024 for just £15!

• Affordable Family Days: Enjoy an afternoon of T20 cricket at The Cloud County Ground with your family at our two Sunday fixtures scheduled this season. Junior tickets for these two matches are just £5 with entertainment on offer for our young Eagles throughout the day.

• Student Discounts: Being a student just got even better! Take advantage of our exclusive student discounts and experience a an Essex match without burning a hole in your pocket.

• Blast Passes Return: Purchasing your pass for all 7 home T20 matches remains to cheapest way for non-Members to buy a ticket for the Vitality Blast competition.

Prices start from just £160, equating to less than £23 per game. There will be an opportunity for supporters to buy a Blast Pass at our special early bird rate but be quick as there are only 250 available at the special price of £220!

With tickets once again expected to sell out this summer, beat the queues to guarantee your spot in stands for all home group games at The Cloud County Ground.

Passes are also available in advance for the One Day Cup, priced at just £60 for all four home group games.

• Category A and Category B T20 fixtures: The new T20 match categories are only applicable to non-Member Adult tickets in the Vitality Blast. Category A matches are on Fridays with matches on any other day of the week classed as Category B.

• Early Bird Specials: Don’t miss your opportunity to jump the queue and purchase your tickets for this summer’s T20s at Chelmsford. Additional early bird savings are available before Wednesday 01 May with ticket priority available by simply signing up to our free Club e-newsletter!

• Get Your Group Together: Organising your group for a day at the cricket can normally be a lot of admin, however book online or by phone and take advantage of our ‘10 tickets for the price of 8’ on all Category B Blast games (Sunday-Thursday matches) this summer.

Essex Cricket is committed to creating an inclusive and enjoyable experience for fans of all ages. Join us at The Cloud County Ground, share the excitement and be part of our matchdays in 2024.

Tickets for the County Championship and One Day Cup are on sale now, including our 2024 Membership packages.

View the 2024 ticket prices – here.

2024 VITALITY BLAST ON SALE DATES

• Thursday 11 January: Members’ Priority | Tickets and Blast Pass
• Friday 12 January: 2023 Blast Pass Holders Priority | Blast Pass
• Wednesday 17 January: Blast Pass Pre-Registrations | Blast Pass
• Friday 19 January: Blast Pass General Sale | Blast Pass
• Thursday 25 January: 2023 Ticket Holders Priority (online only) | Tickets
• Thursday 08 February: Over & Out! e-news Subscriber Priority (online only) | Tickets
• Wednesday 01 May: Early Bird Window Closes

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