Essex kick off trophy campaign

Mark Pettini is eager to get out on the field for a proper match

Essex get the Pro ARCH Trophy under way against the UAE national side at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday March 12.

The pre-season tournament in the Emirates, which lasts until March 28, also features Lancashire, Somerset, Sussex and Yorkshire.

Captain Mark Pettini told Essex CCC's website: “We’ve had three training sessions since arriving in Dubai early on Monday but everyone is now eager to get out on the field for some match action.

“Having had a useful period out here last year we are hoping the step-up in opposition this year will prove to be even more beneficial this pre-season.”

Essex are set to hand debuts to their three new signings – opening batsman Jason Gallian and pace bowlers Chris Wright and David Masters – for the 50-over day-night fixture.

In the absence of James Foster, who is recovering from an injection in his shoulder, 18-year-old Adam Wheater gets an opportunity behind the stumps.

Fast bowler Maurice Chambers will also be featuring in the first-team for the first time since the 2007 pre-season warm-ups.

A lumbar stress fracture subsequently kept him out of the reckoning for the whole of the 2007 campaign.