Can Essex Reign Supreme Once More?

 

Last season Essex claimed back to back County Championship wins taking the title for the third time in four seasons, and became the inaugural winners of The Bob Willis Trophy.

The question most Essex fans are asking is of course can they expect more success in the 2021 campaign? There is every reason to suspect the answer is an overwhelming yes. Australia veteran Peter Siddle has been confirmed as an overseas signing along with South African spinner Simon Harmer who will along with Jamie Porter and Sam Cook form a potent bowling attack. The other key personnel remain unchanged and us such Essex are early favourites with the bookies to retain their title.

The First XI

The batting will be lead of course by ex England captain Sir Alastair Cook who showed his class once again in last season's final at Lord's scoring 179 in Essex's first innings. Fellow left hander Nick Browne should open with Cook. Essex fans will be hoping Browne can return to his best form after a poor campaign by his standards last term which saw him lose his place at the top of the order to all rounder Paul Walter for a couple of fixtures.

Club Captain Tom Westley will bat in his customary roll at three and will hopefully score more heavily this time around as he grows more accustomed to his leadership role.

Dan Lawrence who made his England debut in the recent series win over Sri Lanka should be available for at least the first eight or nine fixtures for Essex before the home summer Test campaign begins. With England having a heavy Test schedule and the T20 World Cup taking place in the summer key personnel are being rested and rotated, so Lawrence can expect to play some part in the summers Test matches against New Zealand & India.

Youngsters Feroze Khushi & all rounder Paul Walter will likely do battle for the number 5 spot. Khushi made a maiden first class 50 against Surrey at Chelmsford last season and may well get first chance given the strength of the bowling attack.

Ex captain Ryan ten Doeschate will be at 6 although he will play primarily as a batsman, his medium pace bowling is rarely seen nowadays.

Keeper Adam Wheater who averaged 58.20 in 2020 adds good depth to the batting line-up and is now one of the most competent gloveman on the county circuit.  

In Simon Harmer Essex have the leading spinner in county cricket. His four season's at Essex have seen him take nearly 250 wickets at an average around 20 including taking 10 or more in match on five occasions.

Veteran Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle returns for a third stint with Essex. Although not as quick as he once was his nagging accuracy coupled with an ability to produce swing and seam will make him a formidable part of the bowling attack.

Jamie Porter is another of Essex's home grown talents, he has taken over 350 first class wickets at an average of 24 since his first class debut in 2015, he has been selected in England Test squads although he is yet to make a Test debut. Essex fans may quietly be hoping this stays the case.

Sam Cook is another product of the Essex Academy. Since his debut in 2016 he has claimed 104 wickets at less than 24 a piece. A prodigious swinger of the new ball Cook continues to improve year on year.

The Squad Players

Paul Walter originally came through the Essex academy as a left arm bowler who could handle the bat. As his career has developed his batting his improved immeasurably whilst his bowling has not progressed in the same manner.

Michael Pepper is deputy to Adam Wheater in the wicket keeping department, he is a competent gloveman who is capable of better with the bat than he has so far shown during his limited opportunities in the first XI.

Aron Nijjar is a tidy left arm spinner used mostly in the white ball formats mainly due to the presence and outstanding performances of Simon Harmer in red ball cricket.

Batsman Varun Chopra is mainly used in the white ball formats but could be used in the middle order of the red ball side if Dan Lawrence is away on England duty. Capable of better than he has shown over the last two seasons.

Aaron Beard is a young skiddy quick bowler who swings the ball well. Is a more than able deputy for any of the first choice fast bowlers when Essex decide to rest and rotate.

Matt Quinn is a tall quick bowler originally from New Zealand, normally leads the attack in white ball cricket where Porter and Cook's lack of pace is sometimes used against them.

Summary

Whilst Essex's strength is undoubtedly their potent bowling attack, they possess quality batsman such as Sir Alastair Cook, Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence along with Adam Wheater who has become an excellent keeper-batsman. There is plenty of back up in the bowling department but the batting line up could be weakened if Lawrence spends much time away with England. I would like to see Essex bring in another batter but finances may well be tight due to Covid. Not replacing Ravi Bopara who departed for Sussex at the end of the 2019 season has hit the white ball teams especially hard. 

Essex have been drawn against Derbyshire, Durham, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the opening group stage of this season's County Championship and should top that group with ease.

In truth if Essex play to their potential and the weather is kind to them they should really make the end of season show piece final as a minimum, and a third straight title is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.

Essex's 50 over side has been poor for a number of years now and will be an area where Director of Cricket Ronnie Irani will want to see an improvement, and last years defence of the 2019 T20 Blast title was nothing short of a disaster, and fans too will want to see an improvement from the white ball teams.

The likes of Somerset, Surrey and Yorkshire will have their eyes on Essex's title but I expect another successful season for the Essex men and hopefully a return to the stands at Chelmsford for the fans before the end of the summer.

Up Up Eagles

LV County Championship Fixtures

Greg Griffiths
03 Feb 2021

 

Simon Jones that is very good!

Simon Jones was good and I mean really good, but just how good could he of been if injury had not prematurely ended his career?

His Test career spanned only 18 matches, yielding 59 wickets at an average of 28.23 but those stats don't do his ability justice. The answer to the question is of course tragically we will never know, but for my mind had his career not been cut short he would of ended with more wickets than the likes of Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and Matthew Hoggard, possibly even more than the late Bob Willis.

I had not seen Jones bowl before his Test debut against India at Lords in July 2002, I had heard though that he was seriously quick and had a reputation for hitting batsman with the short ball. Jones with his shaved head and enviable physique had an appearance once described as akin to a man who had just come out of prison who had spent his time in his cell doing 300 press ups and sit ups a day. He bowled off a relatively short run up but his strong shoulders and whippy action produced ferocious pace. Not only was he quick but he could swing the ball too.

As James Anderson has shown throughout his career if you can swing the ball at good pace it's very difficult to face, and as Dale Steyn showed if you can do this at 90mph plus only the very best in the business will be able to cope. 

We did not have to wait too long to see what Jones was capable off. In India's second innings Virender Sehwag had seen off England's new ball pairing of Hoggard and Freddie Flintoff. Captain Nasser Hussain turned to the debutant and he didn't disappoint as a beautiful inswinger defeated a lazy drive from the Indian opener to send his off stump cartwheeling. Jones would also pick up the scalp of another of India's batting legends later in the innings as he dismissed VVS Laxman.

Jones 2nd Test cap game in the opening Test of The 2002/3 Ashes Series in Australia at The Gabba. coming on first change Jones would get Justin Langer caught behind for 32 to take the first wicket of the series. Tragically it would also be his last. With the score on 136-1 Ricky Ponting flicked a Caddick delivery wide of Jones at mid on and he set off in pursuit, Jones slid a few yards inside the boundary to stop the ball but his right knee caught in the turf rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament. His recovery from the horror injury would take 18 long arduous months.

Following his rehab Jones was recalled to the England team for the first Test of the tour of the Caribbean in Spring 2004. Michael Vaughan had succeeded Hussain as England captain by this point. In a Channel 4 documentary following England's momentous Ashes victory in the summer of 2005, Vaughan commented that Jones was the type of bowler he needed an arm around the shoulder to reassure him of just how good he was. If Jones needed reassurance that he still had "it" on his return to the side, proof came when he dismissed West Indies legend Brian Lara in their first innings.

In the 2nd innings of the 2nd Test in Port of Spain, Jones blew away West Indies top order removing Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ridley Jacobs to leave the hosts effectively 50-4 in the match, before returning to castle Pedro Collins to claim a maiden five wicket haul, leaving England a target of just 99 which they duly chased to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Jones ended the tour taking 11 wickets across the 4 Tests as England won 3-0.

Jones would play only two home tests in that summer of 2004, one against New Zealand at Lords where he claimed four wickets, but only one against West Indies at the same venue.

Next up he played a pivotal role as England beat South Africa 2-1 away from home claiming a further 15 wickets in the four test series at an average of 26.66. As long as he stayed fit, a place in the Ashes squad for the summer series of 2005 would be assured.

Over the winter of 2004/5 Jones unbeknown to most had been working on adding a new skill to his armoury - reverse swing. Before the Australian's arrived that summer England demolished test newcomers Bangladesh in a two test series in which the home side wrapped up victory inside three days on both occasions.

Jones would have to wait a little longer still to get his revenge on Australia as the sides played out the white ball fixtures before the main event of the summer.

Jones would bowl well without too much reward in the first two tests but his tenth wicket partnership of 51 with Freddie Flintoff in the 2nd innings at Edgbaston played a huge roll in England's famous series levelling win by just 2 runs.

The series was set up perfectly as the sides moved to Old Trafford. Vaughan who had been desperately short of runs in series played a captains innings of 166 as England posted 444 in their first innings. It was at this point that Jones unleashed he new skills on the Australian batsman registering Test best figures of 6-53. Jones had developed a lovely knack of striking in the first over of a spell and a delivery that rose sharply from just back of a length took the shoulder of Ricky Ponting's bat looping to Ian Bell at gully to send the Australian skipper on his way first ball after tea. In the first over after drinks in the evening session Jones struck again as Adam Gilchrist edged through to keeper Geraint Jones to leave the tourists reeling at 182-6. Michael Clarke batting at 8 due to back problems was next to go as he was deceived by a Jones slower ball and could only drive tamely to Flintoff at mid off. Enter Shane Warne who would make a brilliant 90 to keep Australia in the game. Jones would ultimately end his stay as a Warne could only pull a good short ball into the safe hands of Ashley Giles at deep backward square. Brett Lee was Jones fifth victim edging a nice away swinger to Marcus Trescothick at first slip who took a fabulous diving catch. England took the new ball and having been swinging the old ball away from the right handers Jones got one to swing into the pads of Jason Gillespie ending Australia's innings. Rain, Ricky Ponting who scored a magnificent 156 and last wicket pair Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath would deny England victory with the tourist's hanging on 9 wickets down in their 2nd innings. Jones would however produce one of the iconic moments of the summer in Australia's 2nd innings as his reverse swing bamboozled Michael Clarke who offered no show to a delivery pitching well outside off only for it to swing back in and remove his off stump.

The series moved onto Trent Bridge for the fourth Test and England won the match to take a 2-1 lead in the series with just one more test to play. It was during Australia's first innings reply to England's score of 477 that Jones produced arguably the best spell of his career. He removed Ponting lbw for 1 with the new ball to leave them 21-2. He returned later in the day to have Simon Katich caught at point by Andrew Strauss with a wide half volley and Australia were now 157-6 and facing the possibility of having to follow on. Next ball things got worse as Warne departed first ball seeing the ball angle towards leg stump, it swung away caught a leading edge and ballooned to Ian Bell at cover. A few overs later Michael Kasprowicz was next, done by a beauty from Jones, a full length delivery that was heading towards leg swung away at pace and knocked back the off stump. Brett Lee would be last man out as he steered a lifting delivery to from Jones to Ian Bell on the third man boundary as he completed a third 5 wicket haul in tests. He ended with 5-44 and Australia were forced to follow on for the first time in 198 Tests.

Jones' body would however let him down again, an ankle issue had been getting gradually worse over the summer and come Australia's 2nd innings Jones could only muster 4 overs such was the discomfort he was suffering. England tried desperately to get him fit for the final Test of the series but despite their and his best efforts it was not to be and the last time Jones was seen in England colours was in his England blazer on the open top bus tour which followed the drawn Oval Test and England's famous 2-1 series win. Jones' performances in the series saw him named as one of Wisden's cricketers of the Year in 2006 and he was awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours List.

Jones had spells in county cricket with Glamorgan, Worcestershire, Hampshire and finally Glamorgan again but persistent injuries limited his appearances and in September of 2013 he announced his retirement from the game, the injuries it seems had finally removed the fire from the welsh dragon.

In the summer of 2005 we saw the very best of Simon Jones and it is an eternal shame we never got to see him perform again on the International stage. As Michael Vaughan said some of the spells he produced in his short England career were some of the very best he had seen, and I can't argue with that sentiment. The art of reverse swing bowling is one that few can fully master but Jones had that ability and coupled with a bowing speed in excess of 90mph facing him must of been a daunting prospect for any batsman. 

Talents like Jones don't come along very often and it is cruel how fate can conspire to take that talent out of the spotlight in the way it did to Jones and us as adoring fans. However we will always be able to treasure the few years he did have at the top level where there can be no doubt he truly belonged.

Greg Griffiths
31 Jan 2021

Simon Jones Career Record