Essex continue One-Day Cup campaign with trip to Wales

Essex Eagles have named a 13-man squad for the trip to Wales where they meet Glamorgan in the Royal London One-Day Cup at the SSE SWALEC Stadium tomorrow (Friday).

The Eagles’ scintillating victory on Wednesday over Warwickshire, following their crushing defeat of Lancashire two days earlier, took them to the top of the Group B table and bowler David Masters believes that they have the squad capable of achieving success in the format.

“We’ve put in two really impressive performances in these two games and I think we are in a really good place at the moment in our one-day cricket,” he said. “If we keep on doing the right things and playing hard cricket, we have got the squad to keep doing well.”

Now 37 years of age, the bowler is well qualified to judge the merits of the current squad having played for Essex since 2008 following his move from Leicestershire.

“This squad has shown what it is capable of in these last two games but obviously we are not always going to win so comfortably,” he acknowledged. “But this is definitely one of the strongest teams that I’ve played for in both 50 over and 20 over cricket and there is a real belief at the moment.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself but the last time I had such a belief in the team was back in 2008 when we won the Friends’ Provident Trophy and I’m comfortable with the belief that we can go on and emulate that side. This present side most definitely compares with the 2008 team - and that was a very good side – but we have the players in this squad with all the skills necessary to win a trophy.

“You sometimes need a bit of luck to go your way when it comes to Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals but if we keep playing the way we are, I don’t see too many teams capable of stopping us.”

The Eagles will be hoping for the weather in Cardiff to stay fine. Three of their previous four List A matches there have failed to produce a result because of rain, including one game in 2011 when Graham Napier took a hat-trick as Glamorgan were dismissed for 222 only for the weather to close in and prevent the Eagles from replying.

However, the weather did relent to allow a game to be completed back in 2009, when the visitors prevailed by 7 wickets, with Napier again taking a leading role with three wickets before he followed-up with an unbeaten 41 when batting at number three.

Glamorgan, though, will be gunning for revenge after Essex pipped them to a place in the quarter-finals of the T20 competition just last week.

Essex Eagles squad to face Glamorgan:

Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Mark Pettini, Tom Westley, Ravi Bopara, Jesse Ryder, Nick Browne, James Foster (wk), Kishen Velani, Graham Napier, David Masters, Reece Topley, Jamie Porter, Aron Nijjar.