2021 County Championship – Essex vs Nottinghamshire Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Essex vs Nottinghamshire taking place? Thursday 3rd June, 2021 – 11:00 (UK)
Where is Essex vs Nottinghamshire taking place? The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
What is the expected weather for Essex vs Nottinghamshire? Sunny intervals and a gentle breeze over all four days with temperatures reaching highs of 25c
Where can I get tickets for Essex vs Nottinghamshire? 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 Nottinghamshire on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Essex vs Nottinghamshire? Matches can be streamed live on the official websites and YouTube channels of the First-Class Counties alongside the England Cricket App.
THE PREDICTION
Nottinghamshire saw their three-match winning run come to an end at the hands of Warwickshire at Edgbaston last week and it will be crucial for them to bounce back against Essex. The defending champions are coming off the back of victory away at Durham and know that with Notts having a game over them, failure to win here will likely put an end to their hopes of finishing in the top two of Group 1. Their biggest positive to take from their triumph over Durham was the performance of 22-year-old Michael Pepper. Brought into the side as a replacement for Dan Lawrence who is away with England, Pepper hit a vital first-class best score of 92 in Essex’s first innings as wickets fell around him.
No doubt the absence of England international Stuart Broad coincided with Nottinghamshire’s run of brilliant form coming to an end and the seam bowler’s absence will no doubt be felt again in this match, as will the recall of opener Haseeb Hameed to the England squad as injury cover. However, the visitors know that a draw would be a good result for them when taking into account their game in hand on Essex. With that in mind, Notts are expected to dig in and bat for a long period on what should be a decent batting track, eating time out of the game and making things as hard as possible for Essex to take 20 wickets. Whilst the hosts will be favourites due to their outstanding record at Chelmsford where they have not lost since September 2018 in red ball cricket, Nottinghamshire’s resilience and in-form batting line-up may just see them secure a hard-fought draw in this one.
