Jordan Cox Returns to Essex Squad for Kent at Chelmsford
jordan cox is back in the Essex squad for the first time this season, giving Chris Silverwood another batting option before Tuesday’s Vitality Blast match against Kent Spitfires Men at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground in Chelmsford. Essex named a 13-player squad for part two of the Battle of the Bridge.
Essex go into the game after a 60-run victory over Middlesex Men on Sunday, a result that lifted them to three Vitality Blast wins in a row. The match will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Essex batting after Middlesex
Charlie Allison made 61 from 37 balls and Luke Benkenstein scored 67 from 56 as the pair added 133 in 91 deliveries against Middlesex at Merchant Taylors'. Essex posted 176-5, then bowled Middlesex out for 116.
Noah Thain took a career-best 3-11, while Ryan Higgins made 36 for Middlesex. That run of form gives Essex a settled base heading into a local derby in which one additional batter can change how far the innings can go after the first wicket falls.
Silverwood's 13-player squad
Silverwood's 13-player squad included Cox and left out Sam Cook, who is unavailable with a wrist fracture. The bowling group around him has already done the immediate work, but Essex have also asked their top order to deliver through the early part of the Blast.
Simon Harmer will continue to lead a side that has opened the competition with three straight wins. The selection gives Essex room to keep the same pace with the bat while managing Cook's rehabilitation and recovery.
Kent Spitfires Men at Chelmsford
Kent Spitfires Men arrive as the 2021 Blast title winners and 2025 quarter-finalists, with Tawanda Muyeye leading their 2025 scoring with 516 runs and Fred Klaassen taking 15 wickets. Essex now have a squad that can counter that record with more depth, and Cox's return is the clearest change before the first ball.
That leaves Essex with a straightforward task on Tuesday: extend the three-match winning streak, use the extra batting choice, and carry the pressure of a live televised local rivalry into a game against Sam Billings's Kent side.
