Glamorgan will hope to upset the Essex applecart when they travel to Chelmsford for their penultimate match in this season’s Specsavers County Championship.
Essex are just five points away from promotion after enjoying a stellar season so far and with 6 more points will seal the Division Two title.
Although Glamorgan are at the other end of the table in eighth position, they will be hoping to salvage some pride from the season by securing a third four-day victory of 2016.
But whereas Glamorgan have endured recent travails with the bat, Essex have dominated Division Two bowling attacks.
Ryan ten Doeschate and Tom Westley have already gone past 1,000 Championship runs for the season, with Westley’s tally now onto 1,205 including three centuries and seven half-centuries. Opener Nick Browne could also reach the landmark by scoring 42 runs in the match and they include new recruit and former Warwickshire opener Varun Chopra in their squad, along with Adam Wheater who made his loan move from Hampshire permanent by re-joining Essex last week as well.
Essex will be without England captain Alastair Cook for their final two games but with Ravi Bopara and teenage sensation Dan Lawrence, they have a formidable look to their top six all the same. On the bowling front, Graham Napier has taken 59 wickets at a tick over 23 and David Masters 32 wickets at 18. Glamorgan will have to be at their best against the Division Two Champions-elect.
For the Welsh county, Aneurin Donald has already reached 1,000 runs in first-class cricket this season and needs another 84 runs for 1,000 in the Championship. Will Bragg needs another 16 runs for 1,000 first-class runs for his season and 54 for the Championship 1,000.
Club captain Jacques Rudolph returns to the squad after injury and will take the armband after Hogan deputised against Gloucestershire, however Graham Wagg misses the trip for personal reasons, so in comes Lukas Carey in his place.
Glamorgan are 30 points behind Leicestershire in seventh and 38 behind Northants in fifth and could overtake both sides with two victories in their final two games.
The match at Chelmsford gets underway at 10.30am on Monday.
Glamorgan (12-man) squad: Rudolph (c), Selman, Bragg, Donald, Lloyd, Carlson, Meschede, Wallace+, Morgan, van der Gugten, Hogan and Carey
Essex (14-man) squad: ten Doeschate (c), Foster+, Beard, Bopara, Browne, Chopra, Lawrence, Masters, Napier, Porter, Rhodes, Walter, Westley, Wheater