Watch: Middlesex’s Joshua de Caires bowled a big-turning off-break that pitched well outside Essex captain Tom Westley‘s off stump and ripped back in sharply to castle his stumps in a County Championship Division One match on September 4.

Choosing to bat after winning the toss at the County Ground in Chelmsford, Essex got off to a good start as openers Nick Browne and Alastair Cook put on a 122-run partnership.

Both Browne (59) and Cook (58) scored fifties before being undone by the wrecker-in-chief of Essex’s innings, Joshua de Caires. Browne was the first to go, flicking a back of length ball straight into the hands of short-leg. Cook followed in de Caires’ very next over, caught plumb in front, handing Middlesex their second breakthrough.

However, Essex captain Tom Westley’s wicket was the highlight of de Caires’ spell. Four overs after getting Cook, de Caires bowled a loopy length ball well outside the right-hander’s off stump.

Westley shouldered arms, not accounting for the massive turn that the ball was going to take, and looked back to find his stumps dislodged.

De Caires was not done, though. Ten overs later, he took his fourth wicket and his second one off a no-shot. Left-handed Paul Walters left a ball pitching on off stump from round the wicket, hoping it would turn past the stumps. But it didn’t and crashed into them instead.

Sixty-six overs into Essex’s first innings, their score read 212-5. Four of those five wickets belonged to De Caires, who had figures of 27-7-61-4 by that point.

Watch Joshua de Caires bowl a ripping off-break to dismiss Essex captain Tom Westley:

That is some enormous turn by Josh de Caires to bowl Tom Westley!#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/nrzJON3YLG

— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 4, 2023

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