
It is fair to say that 2024 was something of a strange one for Essex, with a fair amount of tumult, the club beginning a period of renewal both on and off the field. Off-the-field issues hung over the club as the spectre of the historic racist incidents resulted in a £100,000 fine imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission. Additionally, the club received a 12-point deduction in the County Championship due to Feroze Khushi being deemed to have used an oversized bat in a match against Nottinghamshire. This points penalty was not imposed until September and effectively ended any challenge they might have had for the Division One title. Furthermore, Chief Executive John Stephenson resigned as part of the governance review, with him being replaced by his deputy, Dan Feist. More excitingly, the club also announced a planned £40m redevelopment of their somewhat dilapidated and outdated home at Chelmsford, which will be crucial for the future of the club and allow them to modernise and grow off the field.
On the field, Essex performed well as usual in the County Championship but fell away slightly once the points deduction came through. There was also a conscious effort by the club to integrate younger players into the red ball team, with the likes of Robin Das, Noah Thain, and Luc Benkenstein all getting game time with the red ball. While none excelled, they will all be better for the experience, and showed hints of their ability. Keeper-batter Michael Pepper also broke through into the Championship team and showed himself to be a multi-format cricketer with over 500 runs and two first-class hundreds to add to the youth production line. At the other end of the experience scale, Dean Elgar showed himself to be a more than adequate replacement for Sir Alistair Cook, with almost 1500 runs across all competitions.
With the white ball, it is fair to say that they fell behind their usual lofty standards as they failed to get out of the group stages in the Vitality Blast, but a young and vibrant team showed plenty of potential, with the likes of Michael Pepper finishing as the third highest run-scorer in the competition and scoring at a strike rate of nearly 200. Dean Elgar also surprised a few people at the top of the order by breaking out of that red ball pigeon hole and was the club’s second-highest run scorer in the Blast. Paul Walter also showed himself to be a handy allrounder in this format with 17 wickets, but ultimately the bowlers struggled to contain, with no bowler conceding less than 8.50 runs per over across the competition. A shout-out should also go to Jamal Richards, who showed progression at this level with 15 wickets in the One Day Cup.
Results
Vitality CC: Fourth in Division One
Vitality Blast: Fifth in South Group
Metro Bank ODC: Seventh in Group B
Leading run-scorers
Vitality CC: Dean Elgar 1144 runs at 57.20
Vitality Blast: Michael Pepper 535 runs at 44.58; Strike rate 193.84
Metro Bank ODC: Robin Das 309 runs at 44.14
Leading wicket-takers
Vitality CC: Jamie Porter 56 at 19.25
Vitality Blast: Paul Walter 17 at 21.29; Economy rate 8.82
Metro Bank ODC: Jamal Richards 15 at 24.86; Economy rate 5.55
Player of the season
Dean Elgar scored almost 1500 runs across the County Championship and the Vitality Blast, the nuggety South African demonstrating his class and experience and a fair bit of hitting power thrown in as well. He has shown himself to be an exceptional replacement at the top of the order for Sir Alistair Cook. Jordan Cox also warrants a mention here as well, with an excellent maiden season at Chelmsford, with 918 runs at 65.57, and may well have broken the 1000 run barrier himself, had it not been for injury and illness.
Breakthrough Player
Michael Pepper made 1036 runs across all competitions. While his talents in the white ball game have been known about for a couple of years, he has now managed to force his way into the County Championship team and has taken his opportunity with both hands following Adam Rossington’s injury problems. He had an exception Vitality Blast campaign, and do not be surprised if he starts to land himself some high-profile franchise gigs around the global circuit. Hopefully Essex will be able to persuade him to retain his focus on the red ball game as well, as he is the type of player that crowds like to watch.
Could have done better
Feroze Khushi’s early season hundred against Durham promised great things, but as his form fell away he found himself in and out of the side at the expense of Nick Browne and Robin Das, neither of whom really managed to establish themselves in his place. He also had a disappointing Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign, with 129 runs at 18.42 and lost his spot in the Vitality Blast team. He ended up being loaned out to Kent where he also struggled. The oversized bat controversy has probably had an impact as well, but he is a highly talented player with time to come back strong from this season.
Need to work on
The club need to find a settled opening partnership in the County Championship, as it has resembled something like musical chairs this season. Their recruitment has been somewhat hit and miss, especially in the overseas market as the likes of Eathan Bosch failed to impress, but they are far from alone in that respect. The club’s finances are stretched, so this further complicates their external recruitment strategy.
What’s next?
The club still has many off-field issues to address and there are also rumours of Director of Cricket Anthony McGrath returning to his old club Yorkshire as their Director of Cricket, following the departure of Ottis Gibson. If the club can settle things in the boardroom and get the redevelopment of the County Ground at Chelmsford progressing, then the future could be bright. The youth system continues to produce promising players, and it has been good to see them getting chances. There is much to be optimistic about on the field and 2025 could be a year of renewal.
Mark: 6/10