For Tom Westley, history repeating itself will do just fine

SAM DALLING: On September 23, 2019, Essex took on Somerset for the title. On September 23, 2020, they’ll do battle again - for the Bob Willis Trophy. Westley, once part of the ranks, is calling the shots now

“I’m currently still unbeaten going into September,” jokes Essex skipper Tom Westley ahead of the Bob Willis Trophy Final. Well, he’s joking. But then again, he’s half-serious.

“If someone had offered me that pre-Covid, I’d have snapped your hand off; long may it continue.”

It’s the 31-year-old’s first campaign in charge at Chelmsford. To say it’s been strange is an understatement; 2020 is a year like no other.

Westley previously served as vice-captain before taking over from close friend Ryan ten Doeschate last winter. His predecessor is Chelmsford’s favourite adopted son and has overseen the club’s recent glory days.

Promoted from the County Championship’s lower echelons in 2016, the Netherlands international led them to two titles in three years.

A hard act to follow? Theoretically yes. It certainly looks that way to an outsider. But Westley has been around long enough keep a sense of perspective.

He’s part of the furniture at Essex, took on the role with the club’s full backing and is loving it.

“I’ve really enjoyed it - it’s a huge honour to lead this team of cricketers,” he tells The Cricketer.

“We’ve had so much success over the last five years and I feel extra responsibility to continue that. It’s the least I can do to give back to the county that has been so good to me.

“I was close to Anthony McGrath anyway from being vice-captain and it’s been wonderful to develop that relationship.

“There are so many match-winners; so many people that put their hand up and want to win the game for Essex so it’s not been as daunting as it may appear from the outside.

“It’s rewarding when you tactically get something right and the team is doing well and winning.

“But then I feel like it’s such a good team that regardless of how I captain they’d do well. Maybe I’m doing myself an injustice? But I just feel so privileged and fortunate to have this squad of players.”

Nevertheless, captaincy inevitably brings about new pressures that aren’t felt by the rank and file. It takes some getting used to.

“As just a player you feel accountable for your own performance but as a captain you feel accountable for everyone else’s performance even though you can’t necessarily influence what they do on the field,” he explains.

“There’s that added feeling of wanting everyone to do well which I never experienced to this extent as just a player. You feel that even more as captain. It’s definitely a slightly different mentality.”

^{By his own admission, Westley has been light of runs in this shortened season}

Essex and Westley are peas in a pod. He’s been there since he was a teenager, working his was through the age groups into the second team. He was still baby-faced when he made his first team bow and hasn’t looked back.

All things being equal, he will end his playing days with the club, before no doubt joining the likes of Keith Fletcher and Graham Gooch on the boundary edge.

For more than a decade, he has been a mainstay at the top of the order and boasts an impressive 26 hundreds in club colours.

His flirtation with Test cricket in 2017 may have been brief, but you don’t get into the England side without a significant level of talent.

Yet this year, he has found run-scoring more difficult, and he’s the first to admit that. He wants to lead from the front and pulls no punches in a frank self-assessment.

“The frustration from my side is that I feel like I haven’t contributed as frequently or as consistently as I know I’m capable of doing and have done in the past,” he says.

“You dwell even more because you feel you should be contributing more as captain. I think it’s important that the captain leads by example.

“You can’t dwell on it during the game; you have to get back into the match and make the right decisions, but away from the game you stir even more come night-time.

“It’s still a snapshot of a full season - when you think of this competition like that that it’s still pretty much a third of a season – and lean patches happen but it’s been infuriating getting so many starts and not converting.

“At Lord’s that may all change. I just want to be scoring a few more runs so I can justify my place in the team.”

Ryan ten Doeschate: Essex's man for all eras

Westley has the good fortune of being able to call on the services of Simon Harmer, and the off-spinner naturally wins most of the plaudits when it comes to the Essex attack.

But Essex are no one-man band. Harmer couldn’t have enjoyed that level of success without Jamie Porter and Sam Cook. The pair are both local boys come good.

Porter can count himself unlucky not to have an England cap and it’s often forgotten that he outgunned Harmer during the 2017 title season. He did so in 120 fewer overs.

Cook is a few years younger but is also making his mark. He was capped by the county earlier in the summer and will in all likelihood pick up his 100th first-class victim at Lord’s. And Westley believes that his value should not be underestimated.

“Sam Cook came in a few years ago and got five-for on his debut and hasn’t looked back since,” he recalls.

“He’s a bit of an unsung hero at Essex. He may not have the hauls of wickets that Jamie has but the way he controls the run rate and the game allows Ports to be more attacking.

“Cooky bowled exceptionally well in the last game (against Middlesex) – he got seven wickets but could easily have got 12 with the amount of times he beat the outside edge.

“He’s an aspiring fast bowler who wants to test himself at the next level. He wants to go on to England A and progress through the ranks.”

^{Westley replaced Ryan ten Doeschate as Essex captain}

There’s strength in depth too. Aaron Beard has impressed in the competition, Matt Quinn has prospered in the Blast and exciting prospect Jack Plom recently signed a new deal. And what shining examples they have to aspire to.

“Having so many senior players in the bowling unit – Simon, Jamie and – there’s a lot of role models for those younger players to aspire to be.

“They see first-hand how quickly it can change. These young fast bowlers can see how close it is for them if they put in the performances which is brilliant, both from a captaincy point of view and from the club’s perspective.”

In the past six months, the world has changed in ways no one could have predicted in January. While inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, cricket too has had to evolve.

The Bob Willis Trophy was hastily put together by the ECB out of necessity rather than choice. It replaced the divisions with a conference format, and introduced both an increased number of points for a draw and a reduction in overs bowled in a day. As long as balance is retained, Westley is all for it.

“I’ve always been an advocate of the three divisions – although I think it should be meritocratic with the top teams in Division One and so on,” he says. “That’s above my pay grade though.

“I’ve really enjoyed the 90 overs in a day too. It mirrors Test cricket minus the fifth day which has been beneficial. It can also bring the draw slightly back into the game which has gone out of it in the last few years with the amount of result wickets in the country.

“If you can fight and hang on for the draw it could go a long way during the course of the season, whereas it seems over the last few years you either win or lost. You can go too far in favour of the draw but I think the balance is nice when you can draw a quarter of your games and still give yourself a good chance to finish well in the division.”

Debuts last forever: How the last month opened the door for a new generation

Another cricketing by-product of the global pandemic is doors opening that might otherwise have remained locked.

With overseas players unable to make the trip and England’s bio-bubbles requiring extended cast lists, there has been opportunity for those on the fringes to stake their claim for regular cricket.

Paul Walter has done just that, stepping up to replace Nick Browne at the top of the order.

Equally youth has prospered with – as reported by the Cricketer – 30 budding youngsters making the first-class bows.

Some might have made it anyway, but others may have fallen by the wayside. Cricket is about taking chances. A little bit of luck; thrust into the side; perform well and the rest takes care of itself. It’s an oft repeated tale.

Feroze Khushi is a shining example. The right-hander featured in four out of five group games, making a vital 45 in a tight run chase against Kent on debut. A week later he notched a classy maiden against Surrey.

“That’s where this season’s been brilliant,” Westley adds. “Feroze has made his first 50 in just his second game and showed glimpses of exactly what he can do.

“He’s not the finished article by any means – he’s still got a lot learning to to do – but he’s been a breath of fresh air.

“We lost Ravi Bopara last year and Tendo and Alastair Cook are in the twilight of their careers, but Essex do have a knack of producing home-grown cricketers.

“It makes you take a step back and realise there’s a lot of talent coming through. There’s a lot of opportunities for these young guys to step up and establish themselves in first team cricket.”

^{Last time Essex faced Somerset, they won the County Championship}

So much has changed but then so much remains the same. On September 23, 2019, Essex took on Somerset for the title. On September 23, 2020, they’ll do battle again.

Whatever happens at Lord’s this week, Essex will remain county champions. But that’s just a footnote. They’re a side used to winning; 30 of their past 47 red-ball outings have ended in victory. They’ve tasted just five defeats. And the healthy rivalry between the two clubs adds extra spice.

“It’s a nice reflection in the county season; first against second from last year in the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s.

“It’s always a tough game against them but we’ve probably had the better of it in the past few years. I’m not so sure that comes into it though this time though – its been a very different year.

“They’ve stormed their group and there’s a lot of mutual respect. Like us, they’re also a very well-balanced team so its quite exciting. That rivalry happens naturally because both of us have been so successful. Both teams have won a lot of games of cricket.”

Much is made of the surfaces at both Taunton and Chelmsford but that will go out the window with this one played at neutral venue.  Westley doesn’t foresee any issues.

“Hopefully the calibre of our squad will stand up and show how good they are,” he says.

“If the surface is flatter, hopefully the batsmen will chip in with some big scores and the bowlers can toil away and control the run rate like they’ve done so well for the last few years.

“We’ve got England’s greatest ever Test cricketer opening the batting which is always handy. He’s played a lot of five day cricket.

“We’ve won a lot of games of cricket and back ourselves to have all bases covered on any surface.

“We’ll be looking to fulfil our disciplines as best we possibly can and hopefully come the latter part of the game will be in a position to push home for victory.  It would amazing to be the first – and potentially the only – county to win a five-day final at Lord’s and walk away with the Bob Willis Trophy.”

For Essex, history repeating itself will do just fine.

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