Essex could secure their first title since 1992 and Warwickshire could be condemned to relegation in this televised fixture.

Ryan ten Doeschate returns to lead an Essex team including Tom Westley and Neil Wagner, after missing last week’s draw against Lancashire for personal reasons. Neil Wagner also returns for Essex for a second stint as overseas player after making such a positive impression in the early weeks of the season.

A win would almost certainly seal the title if Lancashire fail to win at Somerset.

Warwickshire are now 30 points adrift at the bottom after last week’s home defeat by Somerset, their seventh of the season, but will be boosted by the return from England duty of Chris Woakes.

 

The 2016 champions head for Uxbridge having been dragged into relegation danger by Somerset’s win last week. Toby Roland-Jones has pulled out with a sore side after being made available by England for their remaining three matches, leaving Steven Finn, Tim Murtagh, James Harris and Tom Helm as a still-strong seam option.

But Dawid Malan is still missing because of his inclusion in England’s T20 squad, and Nick Gubbins has still to recover from his hamstring injury.

Hampshire, in third, are by no means safe themselves. They lose Liam Dawson to England, but Mason Crane returns, and England Lions batsman Tom Alsop is set to continue as wicketkeeper with Lewis McManus out for the season.

 

Somerset are likely to name the same 11 who secured their second win of the season at Edgbaston last week. That would mean another chance for England Under-19s batsman George Bartlett, who made his debut against Warwickshire..

Director of cricket Matthew Maynard has confirmed that seamers Lewis Gregory and Jamie Overton will not play again this season – Somerset's survival bid is likely to be heavily reliant on the spin combination of Jack Leach and Dom Bess.

Alex Davies will resume as Lancashire wicketkeeper because Jos Buttler is on one-day duty with England, after being handed a rare match with the gloves in last week’s rain-affected draw with Essex – which left them second, still 36 points behind the leaders.

 

Fourth v fifth yet neither of these teams are clear of relegation danger.

Surrey have drawn nine and lost one of the 10 matches since their only win of the season in the opening round of the season at home to Warwickshire.

They have lost Tom Curran and Jason Roy to England’s white-ball squad – although Mark Stoneman stiffens the batting again after Test duty.

Yorkshire are 10 points behind Surrey and only 13 points clear of seventh-placed Somerset, even though they have won three games, and Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett and David Willey have joined Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow on international duty. Shaun Marsh will again open with Adam Lyth before he is replaced by Kraigg Brathwaite as overseas player for their last two fixtures, against Middlesex and Essex.