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 LV= Insurance County Championship...
Fixture: Durham v Essex
Venue: Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street
Dates: Thursday, May 27, 2021 - Sunday, May 30, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Essex are to take the four-and-a-half-hour trip the A1 to face a hungry Durham side, who are only three points below them and have a game in hand.
Both teams are coming into the match from rain-hit draws and will be eager to play in dry conditions. Last time the two sides met, Essex won by 44 runs as Durham collapsed on the final morning at Chelmsford.
Durham seek a victory to snake past Essex and potentially Nottinghamshire the race to reach Division 1.
Who's in form?
Ned Eckersley topscored against Derbyshire in Durham’s most recent game with 82 to stop any chance of Derby getting a result from the game.
David Bedingham is top of the batting averages with 624 runs in 10 innings to give him an average of 78. Durham record breaker Chris Rushworth celebrated another milestone on day three against Derbyshire as the 34-year-old claimed his 29th five-wicket haul, finishing with 6 for 49.
Both Alastair Cook and Ryan ten Doeschate hit half-centuries to give Essex a marginal advantage over Warwickshire on the third day last weekend. Australian pace bowler Peter Siddle took 6 for 38 against the same team on day two for his best bowling figures at Essex.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Durham: DWWDL
Essex: DWLDL
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 17
Durham wins: 3
Essex wins: 9
Draws: 5
What's the team news?
Durham have added batsman Michael Jones and seamer Matty Potts to their squad following strong performances for the county’s second team last week.
Wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter has been left out, meaning Ned Eckersley will take the gloves, while Paul Coughlin also drops out of the squad and Mark Wood has joined up with England.
Durham squad: Scott Borthwick (c), Cameron Bancroft, David Bedingham, Jack Burnham, Brydon Carse, Ned Eckersley (wk), Michael Jones, Alex Lees, Matthew Potts, Liam Trevaskis, Ben Raine, Chris Rushworth, Matt Salisbury
Dan Lawrence is absent from Essex’s squad as he joins up with England; Michael Pepper replaces him.
Essex squad: Tom Westley, Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Sam Cook, Simon Harmer, Michael Pepper, Jamie Porter, Peter Siddle, Shane Snater, Ryan ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Adam Wheater (wk)
Latest Durham news: Click here
Who's said what?
Durham head coach James Franklin has challenged his team to go one better against Essex in their return fixture at Emirates Riverside after competing with the reigning county champions across four days at Chelmsford in April, only to lose after dominating the first half of proceedings.
“We played a really good game against them last time out in the second round, which unfortunately we lost in the last couple of hours but overall our performances in that match were strong,” he said.
“We know Essex are a strong team, they have shown that over the last few years, so we know we have to pitch up and play well from day 1 and work our way through there.”
Essex bowling coach Andre Nel was pleased with his bowlers’ collective display against Warwickshire, even as the weather meant that the game ended in a draw at Chelmsford.
“I was really happy with the way we bowled and I think that is the best that we’ve bowled as a unit this season,” he said.
“In past games, one of our bowlers might have been a bit off whilst others were on fire but to see us bowl really well as a complete unit against Warwickshire is a real good positive to take to Durham and we look forward to playing some decent cricket up there.”
What's the weather forecast?
Cloudy with a few sunny spells over all four days. Light rain is predicted for late afternoon Friday. Dry all day Saturday and Sunday with highs of 16 degrees Celsius and lows of 7.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Chester-le-Street: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Durham will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All LV= 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 LV= 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: Attendance is for members only via a ballot. This will remain until June 21 after the next stage of lockdown easing.
Prediction?
In such a tight contest, both teams are going to be keen to get the win especially at this stage of the campaign. Essex might have lost Dan Lawrence to international duty and may not have hit their best form this season, but we're backing them to make an impact this week. Away win.
OTHER ROUND 8 MATCH PREVIEWS
Group 1
Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire
Group 2
Group 3
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