Essex recorded a thumping innings victory over Sussex at Colchester in their last County Championship fixture. Captain Simon Harmer proved the difference over that final morning. The game ended with Harmer fully displaying his astonishing talent and craft with the ball. He took the first two wickets and was key to Essex’s consequential victory. This win proves that Essex is no fluke as they’ve been hot all season long.
On that last day, it took Simon Harmer only until the second over to make an early breakthrough. On one of his first deliveries, Ari Karvelas was able to tickle one down the leg side. Michael Pepper, donning keepers’ pads behind the stumps, pulled off a stunning catch, scalping Harmer’s first wicket of the day. This early success meant that Essex’s mindset was to try and close the innings down fast, and they very nearly succeeded in an explosive few overs.
Harmer did not stop there. It did not take long for him to have his second as James Coles played a horrible slog sweep that top-edged straight to George Munsey in the covers. Cameron Green – at backward square leg – took the simplest of catches, standing in front of the hospitality tent, to send Coles packing. With these two wickets, Harmer showcased his outstanding skill and secured his overall performance to solidify Essex’s position in the match.
Throughout the innings, Harmer’s consistent line and length proved troublesome for Sussex’s batsmen. Further than that, though, he created havoc off the ball that constantly had the defense on red alert. Consequently, they rushed a lot of shots and took some bad looks. The pressure Harmer and his teammates continued to apply finally told and resulted in an emphatic victory for Essex.
Leave a Reply