2021 County Championship – Essex vs Durham Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Essex vs Durham taking place? Thursday 15th April, 2021 – 11:00 (UK)
Where is Essex vs Durham taking place? The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
What is the expected weather for Essex vs Durham? Dry with sunny intervals on Days 1, 2, 3 and 4, with temperatures reaching highs of 13c on Day 4.
Where can I get tickets for Essex vs Durham? The County Championship will initially be played without spectators but it is worth checking each county’s official website for updates
What channel is Essex vs Durham on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Essex vs Durham? Matches can be streamed live on the official websites of the First-Class Counties
THE PREDICTION
County champions Essex were frustrated by a resilient Worcestershire in their opening Group 1 fixture. After recording 490-9 in their first innings thanks largely to 213 from captain Tom Westley, the writing looked on the wall as their highly dangerous bowling attack reduced the Pears to 145-6. However, an excellent recovery saw Worcestershire finish on 475 and the match itself peter out into a draw. Durham themselves will have been disappointed to only draw with Nottinghamshire with Trent Bridge. After accruing a score of 330, Durham bowled the hosts out for 267 and batted on to set Nottinghamshire a target of 396 to win. However, the visitors could only take five wickets on the final day as Steven Mullaney’s side held out for a draw.
The expectation is that the pitch at Chelmsford won’t be as flat as it was in the opening round that saw 993 runs scored on it. This can only benefit Essex, with bowlers such as Jamie Porter and Sam Cook both desperate for some movement to capitalise on and spinner Simon Harmer looking for significantly more turn in the surface. Durham won’t prove pushovers, as they batted well against Nottinghamshire and middle order batsman David Bedingham comes into this one off the back of a fantastic 180 not out at Trent Bridge. However, Essex rarely fail to win two red-ball matches in a row particularly at home and providing the pitch offers more for the bowlers in this encounter than it did against Worcestershire, then the champions are expected to bounce back by beating Durham here.
