After a brief sojourn for some white ball action by virtue of the Hundred and the One Day Cup, we return to the red ball as we enter the home straight of the 2024 County Championshipseason with week ten of the County Championship. Division One brings us an enticing encounter at the Utilita Bowl between hosts Hampshire, who sit in 4th place and visitors Essex, who sit in 3rd. These two sides are yet to meet this season, and thanks to the quirk of how Division One is structured, this will be the only time they meet in red ball cricket this season.
For the hosts, confidence remains high after a good recent run in the One Day Cup, where they lost in the quarter-finals to Leicestershire, in addition to their solid Championship form. It seems like a lifetime ago, but Hampshire was victorious in their last red-ball outing, beating Kent by six wickets at home, thanks to 211 from captain James Vince and a typically excellent bowling effort led by the overseas pairing of Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas.
There appears to be no new injury news for the hosts and they have a number of players returning from the Hundred. They have not lost any one to international call ups, so expect them to be at full strength.
This Essex team is sprinkled with experience and quality and none exemplify that more than South African batter Dean Elgar. The nuggety left-hander leads the red ball run charts for Essex with 767 runs this year, just pipping England’s latest Test match batter, Jordan Cox. Matt Critchley has had another solid season with 496 runs, with solid contributions from the rest of the middle order. The new ball pairing of Sam Cook and Jamie Porter has maintained their usual lofty standards with 63 wickets between them, with excellent backup from Shane Snater (30), Simon Harmer (28), and Matt Critchley (27). However, last time out they lost to leaders Surrey by 145 runs at the Oval, so they will be looking to get back to winning ways as soon as possible to maintain pressure on Surrey.
The visitors will be without Jordan Cox, who is in the England side to face Sri Lanka at Old Trafford and he could be replaced by Feroze Khushi, or expect one of the talented young trio of Robin Das, Luc Benkenstein and Noah Thain to come into the side, thanks to their solid form in the One Day Cup. It looks an interesting decision as to whether Michael Pepper will retain the gloves, but Essex look to be investing in him for the future.
The pitches at the Utilita Bowl often aid the bowlers, especially with the new ball and both sides are equipped with high-quality seam bowling attacks, so this looks to be a tough one to call.
Key Players
For Hampshire, while captain James Vince remains their batting talisman, the new ball overseas pairing of Muhammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott is up there with the best attacks in Division One. Liam Dawson is also a high-quality all-rounder who has been unlucky not to play for England more often.
This looks to be a battle of the new ball bowlers, as the Essex pair of Sam Cook and Jamie Porter can also credibly lay claim to be the best new ball pair in the country. They are backed up by Simon Harmer, who many perceive to be the best off spinner in the country. However, the result could come down to which top order can perform best and perhaps the visitors just edge this thanks to the presence of Dean Elgar, the reassuring battler at the top of the order. He can draw on all of his international experience when facing a pair of Test match quality new ball bowlers.
Team news:
Hampshire squad: TBC
Essex squad: TBC
Weather and conditions:
With the forecast fine for the first day, but with the potential for rain on the other days of the game, anyone heading to Southampton may need to pack for all weathers. This should be a hard-fought game, with two sides who play tough, attacking cricket, so there should be every chance of a result. Much will depend on the toss, with the pitch expected to help the seamers on day one and getting better for batting later on. With overcast conditions possible throughout the four days, this could be a lower scoring affair.
Date: 22nd August 2024
Time: 11:00
Ground: Utilita Bowl, Southampton
Odds (Skybet): Hampshire 4/5: Essex 1/1
https://m.skybet.com/cricket/county-championship/hampshire-v-essex/34123148
