IF following up last summer’s unexpected Championship title win wasn’t hard enough, Essex’s task became even harder when they lost head coach Chris Silverwood to England over the winter.
In his place has stepped Anthony McGrath, who served as Silverwood’s assistant in the past two seasons during which the club was promoted to Division One as champions, following that up with the title in their first season back in the top flight.
Although unbeaten in 2017, Essex’s first target this summer will surely be to secure their Division One status. After all, 2016 champions Middlesex were relegated last summer.
It’s a fate McGrath also suffered when a player at Yorkshire following their 2001 Championship win.
Reality hit home for Essex when they were thrashed by an innings in the recent Champion County game against MCC in Barbados.
“To win this league you do many good things,” said McGrath. “What we’ve got to do is focus on what we did well and then, obviously, improve on what we didn’t do well.
“There is a different kind of pressure this season; I guess it’s an expectation from the outside for us to repeat last year. But from within the dressing room it’s very similar.
This story is from the April 06,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
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This story is from the April 06,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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