Essex are a club permanently in a state of transition nowadays, as the modern sporting world dictates that nothing can stand still and doing so is to move backwards. In 2024, it can be argued that Essex stood still while the pack around them moved forwards. In the County Championship Division One, they dropped from 2ndin 2023 to 4th last season, albeit with an almost identical points tally. They also slipped backwards in the white ball formats, failing to make the knock out phases in either competition.
Off the field there have been some significant changes, both in the boardroom and on the playing side. CEO John Stephenson left at the end of the season and has now joined Western Australia in the same role, with Dan Feist being promoted internally to CEO at Essex. This was part of a round of governance and cost-saving measures due to their current financial struggles and the ongoing costs of the Katherine Newton KC review into historic racial abuse at the club. There are also restricted in their ability to generate revenue all year round at their Chelmsford home, although they have made progress in possible redevelopment of the County Ground. The club have made encouraging progress in their community engagement activities, which is an important role of any county.
Director of Cricket/Head Coach Anthony McGrath also left at the end of the season to return to his spiritual home at Yorkshire, where he takes up the same role. Bowling coach Mick Lewis joined him in making the move. McGrath has been replaced by another Yorkshireman who is very familiar with Essex, as former England, Sri Lanka and Essex Head Coach Chris Silverwood returns as Director of Cricket. While the recruitment choices made by the club do not appear radical or revolutionary, they are sound and rooted in logic by minimising any process of acclimatising to the roles.
On the field, the struggles in the red ball game appeared to be finding a reliable opening partner for Dean Elgar, who himself had an excellent season in the County Championship and Vitality Blast, with nearly 1500 runs in all competitions. He had very little support as no one was able to nail down the spot alongside him. Feroze Khushi, Nick Browne and Robin Das were all tried and while Khushi and Browne both showed promise, they flattered to deceive while Das also struggled. Khushi has now left the club, his form falling away after the oversized bat scandal at Notts which cost them 12 points. The middle order batters were excellent, with Jordan Cox forcing himself into the England squads through the weight of runs for Essex and captain Tom Westley had another solid season.
The bowlers performed creditably as always, with much better support being provided for the usually deadly trio of Simon Harmer, Sam Cook and Jamie Porter, as Shane Snater and Matt Critchley both chipped in 30+ wicket seasons with the red ball. Although this group is as reliable as they come in the county game, they will need back up and it will be interesting to see how much game time the likes of promising youngsters like Jamal Richards and Luc Benkenstein will get this year. Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been recruited for the first seven Championship games, which could be a shrewd signing for early season conditions.
Squad players like Ben Allison and Aaron Beard have both left the club, with Allison joining Worcestershire where he has spent some time on loan and Beard retiring, citing the grind of the county game and the desire to seek other opportunities.
In the white ball game, the club showed some promise in the Vitality Blast in particular, before falling away and missing out on qualification for the knockout phase. Michael Pepper in particular added a lot of spice at the top of the order, finishing with 535 runs, just behind only Daniel Hughes and Sam Hain in the competition run charts. Alongside him the likes of Adam Rossington, Luc Benkenstein, and Charlie Allison all made valuable contributions. Unfortunately, overseas white ball signing Daniel Sams was only available for six appearances in the Vitality Blast and his all-round skills were missed, as an inability to finish games with bat and ball was ultimately what cost them further progression. They have not announced any overseas signings for the Blast as yet, but this will be something that the club will surely be working on.
While 2024 was not the best year in the club’s history, it was also far from the worst, with a solid foundation to build upon and some promising young talent in the pipeline that will be challenging for game time in all formats. With the right additions, the club can start to move forwards once again.
Key player
The veteran South African opener Dean Elgar was the perfect replacement for Sir Alistair Cook, providing nuggety and vital runs at the top of the order, although he was not given a huge amount of support. He also surprised many with his range of shots in the Vitality Blast, finally being allowed to release the shackles and express himself. His top order runs will be hugely important to set solid foundations for which a talented middle order will be able to build upon. An added plus for Essex is that he now qualifies as a home player.
Sam Cook also gets a mention here. England’s obsession with 90mph quicks appears to be holding him back from international honours, but he has shown himself to be the most consistent performer in the county game and was the best bowler in the England Lions’ tour of Australia.
One to watch
Charlie Allison, Ben’s younger brother is highly rated by many knowledgeable judges in the game and looks to be the next talented young batter off the Chelmsford production line. While he is yet to make his first-class debut, he has shown a huge amount of potential in the white ball game and through his time with England u19s, to suggest that he could make the jump into first-class cricket with ease. An honourable mention also goes to Jamal Richards, the young seam bowling allrounder, who had another good season in the One Day Cup and could start to get red ball opportunities as back up to the big three quicks.
Ins and Outs
Overseas signings: Simon Harmer (South Africa), Shardul Thakur (until 26 May)
Ins: None
Outs: Ben Allison (Worcestershire), Feroze Khushi (released), Aaron Beard (retired)
How will they fare
The appointment of Silverwood looks a sound, if somewhat unoriginal appointment, and they will hope that the mantra of “never go back” does not come true. He is a known and highly capable commodity that should help steady the ship and move things forwards.
They are likely to compete strongly in the red ball game, as they usually do, thanks to the quality of their bowling unit and if they can get a reliable partner for Dean Elgar, then they could mount a serious challenge again for the Division One title. Regardless, they would expect to be in the top four.
In the Vitality Blast, if they can find a high quality overseas allrounder capable of finishing games in both facets, then expect them to make a push for the knock out phases.
The One Day Cup has sadly now become a development competition, akin to the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in football and while it appears to have had a positive impact in the development of young players, few clubs really prioritise it unless they happen to make the knockout rounds. I would not expect Essex to mount a serious challenge in this competition.
Opening Fixture: CC v Surrey on April 4th at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford
Likely Championship XI
- Elgar
- Das
- Westley
- Cox
- Critchley
- Walter
- Pepper (WK)
- Harmer
- Snater
- Cook
- Porter
