Match Preview | One Day Cup | Essex | 17 August 2025

It’s Family Funday at Uptonsteel County Ground on Sunday - with Junior entry just £1 - as Leicestershire take on Essex in round five of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

Alongside a host of off-field attractions, the main event will see the Foxes go in search of a third 50-over victory in as many seasons against Essex, having won at Kibworth and Chelmsford during the previous two campaigns.

Looking for revenge, the away side arrive on the back of a commanding win last time out, dismantling Surrey by 244 runs at Chelmsford.

Squad:

One addition to the Foxes squad, as Roman Walker comes into contention.

Leicestershire Foxes: Budinger, Cox+, A Green, Handscomb*, Hill, Holland, Masood, Mike, Patel, Scriven, Trevaskis, Walker, Wood, Wright.

Last Time We Met:

Sol Budinger scored his second consecutive century against Essex to fire the Foxes to victory at Chelmsford last summer.

The opener crunched 120 off as many balls before Tom Scriven smashed his first delivery for four as Leicestershire chased 291 with three wickets in hand.

It followed a very tidy spell from left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis, who returned figures of 10-0-30-2, while Matt Salisbury, Ben Mike and Scriven also took two apiece.

Decisive Duel:

Both Ian Holland and Matt Critchley have found themselves elevated to openers during this competition, adding further responsibility alongside their work with the ball.

After opening in Rishi Patel’s absence last summer, Holland has batted at seven and three this year but reverted to a familiar position at the top of the order versus Hampshire. The versatile all-rounder is closing in on 1,000 List A runs and poses a huge threat with the new ball, extracting the most of any early movement on offer from the white Kookaburra.

Critchley is growing into his new role, making a quickfire 58 in the crushing of Surrey on Friday. A big-hitting batter, he averages 27.29 in 50-over cricket, and offers a more-than-handy option with his right-arm leg-spin.

Tickets:

Under 16s can enjoy entry to all of Sunday’s Family Funday attractions for just £1, while Adult tickets (£20), Family Tickets (£40), and Single Parent Tickets (£20) can all be purchased in advance ONLINE.

Attractions include cricket activities, face painting stalls, stilt walkers, inflatables, and an exclusive book signing with children’s author Jenni Douglass.

Follow Live:

Foxes TV will be the exclusive home of the live stream coverage, while a play-by-play feed will be available on X (@leicsccc). You can also find updates on Facebook (Leicestershire County Cricket Club) and on Instagram (@leicsccc).