2021 County Championship – Durham vs Essex Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Durham vs Essex taking place? Thursday 27th May, 2021 – 11:00 (UK)
Where is Durham vs Essex taking place? Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street
What is the expected weather for Durham vs Essex? A chance of light rain showers on Day 2, but dry over Days 1, 3 and 4 with temperatures reaching highs of 19c on Day 4
Where can I get tickets for Durham vs Essex? The County Championship will initially be played without spectators but it is worth checking each county’s official website for updates
What channel is Durham vs Essex on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Durham vs Essex? Matches can be streamed live on the official websites and YouTube channels of the First-Class Counties alongside the England Cricket App.
THE PREDICTION
Both these sides saw their most recent matches heavily disrupted by the weather, with each ending in a draw. Durham will have been particularly frustrated to have not been given a fair chance to beat Derbyshire, who currently sit bottom of Group 1. Essex meanwhile, simply did not have enough time to force a result with Warwickshire with a combination of rain and bad light preventing an intriguing contest from progressing as desired. Both sides are now in must win territory here and when taking into account that Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire will be locking horns at Edgbaston in the same round of fixtures, this match takes on even more significance with the loser seeing their top two hopes all but come to an end.
Essex’s away form in the County Championship this season has been very poor having lost twice and drawn one with no wins to their name on the road. The reigning champions will be weakened in the batting department by the absence of Dan Lawrence due to England commitments, whilst Durham will be without fast bowler Mark Wood for the same reason. Despite the loss of Wood however, the hosts’ bowling attack is more than capable of skittling a brittle Essex outfit providing the key wicket of opening batter Sir Alastair Cook is taken relatively early on. A pitch unfriendly for spin-bowlers will likely be prepared by the Durham ground staff to nullify the threat of Essex’s Simon Harmer and when considering the form of Tom Westley's side on the road, favouring a Durham win looks a smart play and certainly the value pick of this week’s round of County Championship fixtures.
