Story Essex's English Premier League Escapades

[Wavelberry]

English Premier League of Cricket
Matchday 5: Essex v Warwickshire
Day 1; Session 1
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Back to (kind of) Fortress Chelmsford for Matchday 5 then as Essex welcomed 4th placed Warwickshire to the ground to attempt to knock them off their perch at the top of the table. Essex were back top courtesy of an absolutely crushing win against Sussex while Warwickshire's frustrating draw against Hampshire meant that they had dropped ground on their title rivals (although they still occupy the 4th and final play-off spot at the moment). A win against Essex then is exactly what Ian Bell and his boys need so when he won the toss and elected to bowl on a hard, uneven and heavily cracked surface everyone in the ground wondered if he had gone mad. Needless to say Tendo would've batted first especially after the success Harmer and Lawrence have had on the pitch this season with their spin bowling but Ian Bell obviously thought that the Essex batsmen could be got at (and given their collapse the last time they played here he might be right) so bowl Warwickshire did. But did they bowl well?

A mixed bag sort of a morning then. At 23-2 it had looked like the decision to bowl had been vindicated. The normally adhesive Nick Browne was undone by a rip-snorting Boyd Rankin delivery which launched off of the splice and straight to Rikki Clarke at slip before Tom Westley, fresh from a duck and an 8 against Sussex, attempted to sweep an unsweepable lined ball and ended up top-edging to Ambrose. Early wobbles for the home side then and Bell an co looked ready to pounce but cometh the hour cometh the Ravi and he an Chopra set about rebuilding the innings. Ravi was his usual forceful self while Chopra played in a carefully carefree way to record his first 50 of the season. Ravi joined him despite some hairy moments off of Chris Woakes with one over having no fewer than four edges (no dropped chances though) and was soon ahead of his partner and on his way to a century. The two of them added 118 for the third wicket and the morning was turning towards the Eagles before Chris Woakes got Ravi to play down the wrong line and nipped his off-stump. Another quality innings from Ravi then but one that was cut-short. Dan Lawrence came out and played his first ball like he was opening with Alastair Cook for England but got off the mark with a thumping cover drive a few balls later and then settled down to get to lunch 8 not out alongside a very happy looking Varun Chopra who is currently enjoying a 69 (arf). 163-3 then at lunch and honours probably even at this stage.

Weirdly Ian Bell's toss calling wasn't the only bit of eccentricity on display from the former England batsman as he used 6 different bowlers in the opening 17 overs with one of them being him. He bowled okay actually especially when compared to Rikki Clarke who has taken a bit of a pasting. Rankin has been the pick of the bowlers alongside a tidy Wright and a Woakes who has responded to the early pressure well by snagging Ravi. The strangest thing of all though? This pitch being tailor made for a spinner and your off-spinner who has taken 18 wickets already this season only being bowled for 5 out of the 42 overs of play we've had. It's funky captaincy alright. Shane Warne would love it.

The session is here for you to enjoy in two parts coz my stupid Twitch recording cut out.
Part the first here
Part the second here

 

[Wavelberry]

English Premier League of Cricket
Matchday 5: Essex v Warwickshire
Day 1; Session 2
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Honours even on the first morning but with a sense that Warwickshire were not perhaps at their best and needed to be a bit more attacking with their spinner. Would Jetan Patel get more than five overs and spin the Bears into a commanding position or would Essex take advantage of Ian Bell's funky captaincy and put big runs on the board?

Well Jetan Patel did turn the ball and the screw and picked up a wicket but Ian Bell also went for funky captaincy which ultimately meant that with 121 runs and just 1 wicket falling the session Essex went to tea well on top. Essex started in a circumspect fashion but soon runs were starting to flow for Chopra and Lawrence again. That changed when Rankin and Patel started bowling in tandem with the off-spinner making like particularly difficult. Chopra decided the best tactic was to not get dominated by him so attempted to be aggressive in his footwork and come down the pitch to Patel as much as he could. It was this tactic that ultimately cost him his wicket as he went sashaying down the pitch on completely the wrong line to a delivery and ended up stood in Chelmsford city centre when he should've been in his crease. Tim Ambrose took advantage of Chopra's misadventure and completed the stumping to give Warwickshire hope at 185-4. Set batsman gone and two relatively new ones at the crease.

It was just a few overs after however that Ian Bell decided enough was enough with Jeetan Patel and inexplicably hooked his off-spinner again instead bowling a profligate Chris Woakes and himself while flogging poor old Boyd Rankin as well. Tendo and Lawrence took full advantage with both of them going to 50s and putting on 99 to end the session on 284-4. Tendo looked extremely comfortable while Lawrence had a little bit more luck as he spent most of his 40s edging Ian Bell to anyone who wanted to try and catch him. Luckily none of them carried and he is still there and the Essex Engine Room is now looking like pushing 400. Warwickshire will need a big evening session.

The madness of Ian Bell is there for everyone to see. He's definitely gonna do it his way but even he will have to give Jeetan another bowl in the evening session. The new ball might come to their rescue as well but they'll need Chris Woakes to show much better form than he has done so far and to back up the impressive Rankin. It's not over yet but having put Essex in to bat on this kind of pitch anything over 300 is going to be a tough ask. A big push needed by the Bears post tea.

To see Chopra's magnificent adventure, Dan Lawrence's life on the edge on and the woes of Chris Woakes click here to enjoy the full session...

 

[Wavelberry]

English Premier League of Cricket
Matchday 5: Essex v Warwickshire
Day 1; Session 3
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As a few throaty 'You Bears!' rang out across Chelmsford to rally Ian Bell's men for the evening session Ryan ten Doeschate and Dan Lawrence only had one thought on their minds. Get runs. Get to 400 by the close... That's two thoughts actually, but y'know what I mean. Anyways Belly's boys needed to pretty much run through the lower middle order with the old and new ball to not be behind the game by the end of the day.

And unfortunately for them they couldn't do it. For Essex though it was a pretty perfect day with nearly all bonus points grabbed, the 400 mark passed and with power to add. Of course you might have wanted one or two conversions to 100s on that scorecard but you'd have taken it at the beginning of the day. Warwickshire and Bell continued their weird decision making having Rankin and Woakes continue to bowl with just eight overs left to the new ball. Lawrence and Tendo took their partnership past the 100 mark and looked comfortable until Bell finally bought Patel back. He got the breakthrough with just three overs to go to the new ball when Lawrence missed a tuck off his pads. The ball struck him plumb in front and he had to go. Jeetan Patel had opened the door but Warwickshire weren't able to go through it. Bell gave Patel and Wright the new ball before giving it to Rikki Clarke as well. He eventually hoiked Patel off for Rankin who came back and got Tendo to cut a short ball to slip. A bit of a giveaway by the Essex captain which bought James Foster to the crease. The day then petered out for Warwickshire despite an over where Rikki Clarke had Wheater edging all over the place but the very next over Bell replaced Clarke with himself and bowled to the close allowing Foster to sit comfortably in his 20s and Wheater to pick up his second 50 of the season.

Why Ian Bell? Why? Jeetan Patel ended up bowling the second most overs in the day on a pitch where he should have probably bowled ten more overs. Bell decided to make himself 5th bowler over Rikki Clarke for some reason yet despite this Rankin and Patel have done as well as they can. Make no mistake though Warwickshire have ballsed up this first day and are going to need an impressive batting performance to stay in this game.

The final session of drama is here for you to watch.

 

[Wavelberry]

English Premier League of Cricket
Matchday 5: Essex v Warwickshire
Day 2; Session 1
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Day 2 and it's all about damage limitation for Warwickshire. Essex were all about dem runs though. Wheater and Fozzie turned up to the ground on Day 2 hungry for potato wedges and runs and unfortunately for the Bears Ian Bell and co were all out of potato wedges...

A ridiculous 181 partnership between the master and the apprentice wicket-keeper rubbed Warwickshire's noses into the dirt as the two of them took Essex merrily on past the final bonus point mark and on and on and on and on.

Eventually Wheater, who had struggled for ages to get runs while Fozzie was knocking the ball everywhere, got to a century when he reset himself and played in a slightly less flighty fashion. Eventually he went getting bowled by the indefatigable Patel and Harmer followed shortly after hooking Wright into the hands of a delighted Bell. The Warwickshire captain suddenly sensed that Essex were choking under the pressure and went on the offensive but Porter offered calm resistance to Patel and Wright as Fozzie eased to his second century of the season. He was eventually out marching down the pitch and missing another Patel delivery. The two wicket-keepers had done a sterling job to take Essex to 557 and it was up to Ports and Beard to see it through to lunch which they did. Beard eventually got bored and gave Patel the charge and was easily stumped by Ambrose but the damage had been done about 50 overs ago. 562 all out. Essex would be dining out on their advantage all over lunch.

Kudos to Chris Woakes for getting that ER under 4 especially with Fozzie and Wheater in hungry form. Rankin was rank this morning and his figures eventually drifted and for some bizarre reason Bell opened the bowling this morning. Patel had an over alongside him before resting for most of the carnage and then coming back to claim extremely respectable figures. Like the lone England bowler at the Gabba who has done well Patel has been vindicated. Like Nasser Hussain at the Gabba Ian Bell was an idiot bowling first. A lot of work for Warks ahead.

Watch Fozzie and Wheats be greedy bastards greeted by my incredulity of Bell bowling the opening overs here.