THE FACTS
When is Essex Eagles vs Surrey taking place? Friday 19th July, 19:00 (UK)
Where is Essex Eagles vs Surrey taking place? The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
What is the expected weather for Essex Eagles vs Surrey? 19c with cloud and a chance of light rain later in the evening
What television channel is Essex Eagles vs Surrey on? Essex Eagles vs Surrey will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Essex Eagles vs Surrey? Essex Eagles vs Surrey will be streamed live on Essex County Cricket Club’s official matchzone, which you can find by clicking here.
Where can I get tickets for Essex Eagles vs Surrey? Check https://www.ecb.co.uk/T20-Blast for updates about tickets
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD BETWEEN ESSEX EAGLES AND SURREY
All-time meetings: Essex Eagles W15, Surrey W10, No result 2
Last meeting: Surrey beat Essex Eagles by 6 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
ESSEX EAGLES
Coach: Anthony McGrath
Captain: Simon Harmer
- Essex Eagles were comprehensively beaten in their opening match on Thursday evening as after posting what was seemingly a competitive total of 164/6, superstar AB de Villiers got his T20 Blast career off to a stunning start by smashing the Eagles’ bowlers to all parts for his 88 from 43 balls.
- The absence of Jamie Porter and overseas star Mohammad Amir, who continues to wait for international clearance and a UK visa, proved costly as the bowling unit struggled badly to slow the Middlesex batsmen and that will have to improve quickly as they face another world class batsman in Aaron Finch.
- The batting also has plenty of room for improvement with both Delport and Chopra failing to reach double figures after opening the innings together and they will need more of their batsmen to step up for this game in what could be an unchanged line-up.
SURREY
Coach: Michael Di Venuto
Captain: Jade Dernbach
- Surrey surprised everyone last season after failing to qualify from the Southern group despite being seen as one of the favourites to win the whole competition and this was considered a huge disappointment for a side packed with domestic and international stars.
- The fourth-ranked T20 batsman in the world and Australian limited overs captain Aaron Finch returns to Surrey for his third successive Vitality Blast campaign and is joined by South African spinner Imran Tahir, who retired from international cricket following the conclusion of the ICC Cricket World Cup but remains one of the best T20 spinners in the world.
- England duo Roy and Plunkett are both rested along with Morkel while Pope is still out injured but both overseas stars are available for this opening game as are the Curran brothers in what is still a strong group of players despite the absentees.
THE PREDICTION
Essex Eagles kicked off their T20 Blast campaign on Thursday with a heavy loss at the hands of an AB de Villiers-inspired Middlesex side and they will have to bounce back quickly. They face a talented Surrey team that is missing some key players, but still possesses plenty of quality international players like Finch, Burns, Foakes, Tahir and the Curran brothers. With Amir still likely to be missing for Essex, this bowling unit looks particularly poor, and one which Surrey’s batsmen will be confident of exploiting here. Despite their struggles last season, Surrey can start the 2019 campaign with a victory here.
