Surrey make the trip to Chelmsford looking to get back to winning ways in the County Championship as the business end of the season approaches.
The Three Feathers head to CM2 on the bank holiday weekend with the aim of bouncing back following the visit of Notts last week.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH THE GAME?
Every ball will be broadcast live on Essex’s YouTube channel. A link to the match will be available on the Kia Oval Match Centre and Surrey’s social media channels. Those Surrey channels will also post regular updates and clips. A written match report and highlights will be available at the end of each day of play.
SURREY SQUAD
After scoring an impressive century for the 2nd XI earlier this week, Nikhil Gorantla is named in the Surrey squad for the trip to Chelmsford.
Ollie Pope and Matthew Fisher are with the England Test squad.
LAST TIME OUT VS ESSEX
Centuries from Dom Sibley and Dan Lawrence helped Surrey secure a draw against Essex in the Rothesay County Championship, in front of more than 3,500 supporters over a sunny four day in April this year.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Surrey were made to work hard for their first wicket, with former South African international Dean Elgar and Paul Walter putting on 184 before Jordan Clark made the breakthrough. The visitors went on to score 409, with former Essex all-rounder Dan Lawrence taking three wickets for Surrey.
In reply, Dom Sibley and Dan Lawrence took a liking to the Essex bowling attack, smashing centuries with other contributions from the Surrey middle order as the home side amassed a 63 run lead.
On the final day, Essex batters Paul Walter and Tom Westley, secured their own centuries as the game slowly filtered out towards a draw.
ESSEX
Previewed by Martin Smith, ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay
Captain: Tom Westley
Director of cricket: Chris Silverwood
2025 finish: 6th
2025 highest run-scorer: Paul Walter (914)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Jamie Porter (49)
Key winter moves: Essex had already bagged the pacy Zaman Akhter from Gloucestershire and Durham rookie Mitchell Killeen before the end of last season to make rotation of their seam attack smoother. They have also added Wiaan Mulder for the first two months of the season to cover Jordan Cox’s absence at the IPL. The prolific South African accumulator will also provide a useful bowling option.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: With some of the more senior players reaching the twilight of their careers, who will step up in their places? Charlie Allison enjoyed a breakthrough season with the bat in 2025 and has surely cemented his spot long-term. Another home-grown talent Charlie Bennett emerged late on in the campaign to suggest he could bolster a bowling unit often overstretched last year.
Aiming to catch selectors’ eyes: With positions in England’s upper order looking up for grabs after the Ashes, a call-up for Jordan Cox may not be long coming. The combative right-hander, a man for all formats, fits the attacking England model but is capable of switching to more orthodox, conservative mode if circumstances demand.
Final thought: We’re looking forward to seeing far greater equality between bat and ball. Last season, Essex batters accumulated a remarkable combined total of 20 red-ball centuries. Not bad for a side who struggled alarmingly on admittedly unresponsive pitches. But at the same time the bowlers claimed all 20 wickets in a match on just five occasions. Altogether, it made for a glut of forgettable draws.
