Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the County Championship...
Fixture: Essex v Derbyshire
Venue: The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Dates: Thursday, May 13, 2021 - Sunday, May 16, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Essex have had a disappointing start to the season by their exceptional standards. Having gone 22 matches and two summers unbeaten, they then proceeded to be beaten twice in three games. Far from cut adrift in the group, it would be foolish to write them off from finishing in the top two.
Derbyshire are rooted to the foot of the table and are currently winless going into this fixture. They have played some reasonable cricket and have lost only one of the four games they’ve played. As well as chasing their maiden win of the campaign, they could even leapfrog the champions and send them to the bottom with an unlikely win.
Who's in form?
Matt Critchley has had his strongest start to a County Championship season, registering four fifties and one century in his haul of 483 runs at 60.37, with the impressive addition of 15 wickets including one five-wicket haul.
Typically for Essex Simon Harmer is once again proving to be the pick of the bowlers. After another strong start, he has 22 scalps at 27.18.
Other stand-out performers have been Sam Cook (18 wickets at 19.22), and Tom Westley (387 runs at 48.37).
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Essex: LDLWD
Derbyshire: LDDDL
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 181
Essex wins: 78
Derbyshire wins: 31
Draws: 72
Abandoned: 1
What's the team news?
Essex: The champions have kept faith with the same group that lost to Notts, only adding Feroze Khushi to make it a 14-man squad.
Squad: Tom Westley (c), Ben Allison, Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Sam Cook, Simon Harmer, Feroze Khushi, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Porter, Peter Siddle, Shane Snater, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Adam Wheater
Derbyshire: The visitors are boosted by the return of club captain Billy Godleman, who has recovered from injury and is set to make his comeback.
Billy Stanlake has been included for the first time with South African quick Dustin Melon, also recovering from an injury, making his way back into the squad.
Squad: Billy Godleman, Luis Reece, Leus du Plooy, Wayne Madsen, Matt Critchley, Alex Hughes, Harvey Hosein, Brooke Guest, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Michael Cohen, Sam Conners, Billy Stanlake, Dustin Melton
Latest Derbyshire news: Click here
Who's said what?
Anthony McGrath, the Essex coach, is not concerning himself with finishing in the top two in Group One and remaining in contention for the County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy double.
A run of three games without a win leaves the Chelmsford club one off the bottom and 15 points adrift of the qualification berths, but McGrath is trying to take the season game by game.
"Looking too far ahead is not the way to go, we just need to focus on what we do from now until we start Thursday," he said.
"Put in a better performance for one against Derby[shire], and win that game. If we do, I’m sure the table and the feeling will look completely different come Sunday evening.”
“It’s still very early season, I know the men and the character that we’ve got in that dressing and the skills. I’m confident that we’ll be putting on a better showing come Thursday.”
Yet to back up their form from the Bob Wilis Trophy last season when they finished second in the North Group, Wayne Madsen is urging his Derbyshire teammates to discover some much-needed consistency as they return to action, following a week off.
“We knew that we were off the mark against Nottinghamshire, but we’ve put in some good performances prior to that,” he said.
“We want to be consistent, the last game hurt us but the positives we can take from some performances in that game, as well as in the other matches, are pretty important going into the rest of the competition.
“The next two games, Essex away and then Durham at home, will be really important, in terms of giving us a chance to finish higher up the table.”
What's the weather forecast?
It’s going to be another cold mid-May game at Chelmsford, with temperatures struggling to break 14 degrees. There’s a chance of rain across all four days, so expect a delay at some point, but there should still be enough time for a result.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Chelmsford: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Essex will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets: This match is to be played behind closed doors owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Travel: Not applicable owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Prediction?
Derbyshire have struggled to support their best players and will be coming up against a fierce, experienced and resolute opponent in Essex. After three games without a win, the champions will be determined to bounce back. Essex win.
OTHER ROUND SIX PREVIEWS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
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