After a series of near-misses and what-ifs in the 2022 season, Essex will be determined to secure honours next summer.
Despite the disappointment of losing their double-winning status in 2019, the Essex men had a remarkable 2022 campaign. They finished fourth in the county championship and reached the quarter finals in the T20 blast.
However, a one-day cup saw them finish in sixth completely off their semi-final appearance last season.
Highest Achieving Players
Former England captain Alastair Cook opened the batting and scored with 996 runs alongside T20 captain, Simon Harmer. He took the most wickets with 76 across the three competitions.
Head coach Anthony McGrath spoke to Essex Cricket TV about the spinner.
“He’s amazing, ultra-consistent.
“On most surfaces he finds a way with the ball any team would love to have him,” he added.
Championship Highlights
The second game of the County Championship was one the best days for Essex in the season. The one-wicket win was a low-scoring affair with both teams reaching less the 200 in the first innings.
Somerset came out to bat for their second innings, while Shane Snater skittled the Somerset top order finishing with six/36 leaving the Essex batters needing 84 to win.
The drama of the game was not finished with Essex losing four wickets with only four runs on the board.
Adam Rossington steadied the ship, but it went down to the last wicket and the boys came home for the win. “An incredible game that could have gone either way.” McGrath said.
The T20 blast was where the Essex started very strongly with a nail-biting win against Kent, winning with only two balls remaining.
Essex was able to storm through with a comfortable win against eventual winners of the tournament, thanks to the batting of Michael Pepper with his 75 off 42 balls.
Essex carried out their nickname famously known as ‘The Eagles’ in the T20. Pepper in an Eagles shirt went on to win the Eagles player of the year award after going on to hit four hundred and thirty- nine runs in the T20 blast.
A poor game against Glamorgan in Bristol put the Eagles in danger of missing out on the quarter final. However, seven wins from nine meant that Essex finished 3rd in the south group and faced Lancashire in the quarters.
Lancashire showed what they did best this season and started slowly but came back to trash the Eagles by seven wickets with 26 balls to spare.
This was a good campaign for the Eagles, but the team will be looking at the quarter final as expectation rather than hope.
Rising Stars
The Royal London cup gave opportunities for the younger players to shine as most senior players were away with their international teams and the Hundred.
Tom Westley’s expectations were high after last season but with lots of teams keeping their better players, Essex were already on the back foot.
A positive from Royal London Cup was the amount of youngest got the chance not just at Essex but across the one-day cup. Two in particular for Essex Luc Benkenstein and Jamal Richards really shone for the Essex with an All-rounder.
Benkenstein took 6/42 in the game against Glamorgan and 55 against Worcestershire. The 17-year-old is now out in Pakistan playing in their new junior league.
Reminiscing
Essex Fan Matthew Peck reviewed the season saying, “We have had a decent but ultimately uninspiring season failing to provide any real challenge for silverware”.
“Main positives were found in the 4-day county championship proving that they were more than deserving of a place in the top division.”
The new season looks bright for the team with no big-name departures and the boost of a new contract to club captain Tom Westley which seems him stand till 2025.
Westley said, “It was an easy decision for me to make. I feel we have a team that’s capable of competing for trophies across all three formats.”
No new players have been signed for the club yet as it is still early days in the off season.
Edited By Pierrette Simuene
