County Championship 2022 Division I | Essex vs Yorkshire | Match Preview

Yorkshire will travel to Chelmsford to take on Essex in Round 5 of the County Championship Division I at the Cloud County Ground.

Yorkshire sits at 4th position on the points table, garnering 51 points from three matches. They have played out two draws and secured victory in one against Gloucestershire.

Yorkshire's batters have been in supreme touch this season. The likes of Harry Brook, Dawid Malan and George Hill have scored centuries to dominate the opposition. However, a selection headache awaits Yorkshire's management as former England red-ball skipper Joe Root returns to the domestic setup for the away game.

Yorkshire have left the opposition off the hook twice, settling for draws from a dominant position. They would like to work on this inability to close out the game. 

On the other hand, Essex are placed 5th on the league table. They have mustered 43 points from four games, with a win and loss apiece and two draws. 

Essex's top-order has struggled and put the team in precarious situations. They were asked to follow on in the last game against Northamptonshire. However, their middle-order batter, Paul Walter in particular, displayed unfaltering resistance in the second innings to salvage a draw.

Yorkshire

The Steven-Patterson-led side will be buoyed by the return of the ex-England captain, Joe Root. After stepping down as England's Test captain, the game against Essex will be his first county assignment.

Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the game as he has failed to recover from a side injury sustained against Kent. 

Pacer Ben Coad will travel to Chelmsford as a part of the 14-man squad as he has recovered from a groin injury.

Squad

 Dom Bess, Harry Brook, Ben Coad, Harry Duke (wk), George Hill, Dimuth Karunaratne, Tom Loten, Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Steven Patterson (c), Haris Rauf, Matthew Revis, Joe Root, Jordan Thompson.

Essex

Essex have announced their 12-man squad for the home game against Yorkshire. Adam Rossington, who missed the last outing against Northants, replaces Adam Wheater in the team. The rest of the combination remains unchanged.

Squad

Tom Westley (c), Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Sam Cook, Matt Critchley, Simon Harmer, Feroze Khushi, Jamie Porter, Adam Rossington (wk), Shane Snater, Mark Steketee, Paul Walter