Dean Elgar’s maiden Essex century provides apt tribute to Chelmsford’s departed

Essex 421 for six (Elgar 120, Critchley 103*, Cox 67) vs Kent

Nothing modifications with any nice velocity at Chelmsford. Plans are presently afoot for a grand renovation of the pavilion and its surrounding concourse – the one nook of this postage-stamp floor with any wriggle-room for enlargement – although slightly like this week’s announcement that the bottom’s Hayes Shut and River Ends have been renamed in honour of its most storied Check performers, Graham Gooch and Sir Alastair Cook dinner, there’s been no pretence of an improve in signage within the interim. Certainly, the interactive “Graham Napier Sixes Path”, with its 16 plaques to commemorate every of Napier’s swings for the bleachers in his well-known T20 onslaught towards Sussex in 2008, stays Chelmsford’s most seen tribute to any former participant, Graham or in any other case.

And, simply as had been the case in Essex’s opening-week victory at Trent Bridge, Elgar’s sidekick all through an innings-defining third-wicket stand of 159 was an up-and-coming England prospect with the identical weight and vary of stroke because the just lately departed Dan Lawrence. Between them, Elgar and Jordan Cox set about convincing a formidable first-day crowd of two,226 that nothing by any means has modified about Essex’s red-ball batting prowess. A primary-day scoreline of 421 for six, capped by an unbeaten century from Matt Critchley, amply backed up that pretence.

It wasn’t all plain crusing for Essex after Tom Westley had received a useful toss on the primary genuinely shirt-sleeves day of the season. In step with the uneven problem that this month’s two-round experiment with the Kookaburra ball has created, Kent’s seamers triggered havoc for exactly 21 balls. In that point, Westley himself was caught behind for five off George Garrett, after Feroz Khushi – whose use of an improperly sized bat at Trent Bridge nonetheless threatens his aspect’s top-of-the-table standing – selected not to use it in any respect this week in being bowled by Wes Agar whereas shouldering arms first-ball.

Cox’s confidence on the entrance foot was ample excuse for Elgar to step up his personal intent with a sequence of compact drives of his personal, nevertheless it was the introduction of Matt Parkinson’s legspin that kicked Essex’s innings into overdrive. Cox greeted his first-ball full-toss with a dismissive slap via the covers – the primary of three fours in a 13-run first over – and he was scarcely allowed to settle thereafter in leaking 25 runs in his first three.

Having romped to his fifty from 61 balls, an opportunity got here and went for Cox when Agar at wonderful leg fumbled a top-edged pull off Nathan Gilchrist, however he had added solely seven extra runs when Garrett pushed a contact fuller to pin him on the knee-roll for 67. It was hardly the harbinger of a Kent fightback, nonetheless. Critchley emerged with a platform of 169 for 3 however simply as importantly the Kookaburra coming into its dead-zone within the thirty ninth over, and Essex duly punched alongside at a price of 4.5 an over, with scarcely a necessity to over-reach themselves.

Elgar’s departure got here as one thing of a shock when, on 120, he popped a tame catch to quick midwicket off Parkinson and dropped his bat in frustration at his personal missed alternative, however that merely unleashed the lengthy levers of “Tall” Paul Walter, who bombed the long-off boundary with a 4 and two more and more weighty sixes earlier than scuffing a 3rd try to give Parkinson his second wicket.

Michael Pepper, too, peppered the boundary, together with with a full-faced raise for six over the duvet boundary, solely to select deep third with an tried ramp, one wanting his fifty. Critchley, nonetheless, made no such error in carrying Essex previous the second new ball and thru to the shut, with the promise of a lot extra the place these first-day choices had come from.