ESSEX start their LV County Championship match with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road boosted by the return of Andre Nel and Ravinder Bopara from World Cup duty.

South African seamer Nel was due to arrive in England last night, while Bopara returned to domestic action in the Friends Provident Trophy win over Hampshire on Sunday.

Essex coach Graham Gooch believes Nel will fill a big hole in his side's fast bowling department, which has been decimated by injuries to Jahid Ahmed, Mervyn Westfield, Maurice Chambers, Graham Napier and Tony Palladino.

"Andre is the sort of cricketer who leads from the front with the ball and also lifts the side with his bouncy character off the field," said Gooch.

"He is a competitive and combative individual who fits well into our dressing room."

Nel joins an Essex team that has yet to lose this season, and which easily won it's last LV County Championship match against Glamorgan thanks to 13 wickets from Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria.

Gooch was delighted with the result, adding: "We had a few injury problems but we batted very well to take full advantage of winning the toss enabling us to put plenty of runs on the board and allow Danish Kaneria to take an influential part in the game.

"Although it's a long season, it's important to get that first win on the board and it gives us a platform from which to build. With Nel coming into the side, we have two world-class performers in our attack."

Nel helped his country reach the World Cup semi-finals by taking 12 wickets in six matches, and will now spend five weeks with Essex before being replaced by Australian all-rounder Andy Bichel.

The 29-year-old's arrival has also coincided with a welcome return to fitness for Napier, who is included in the county's 12-man squad.

Nel will be in his second spell for Essex, having represented the county in August/ September 2005, during which time he made a hugely positive impact by claiming a wicket with his first ball in the Championship match with Somerset at Colchester.

He will be treading familiar turf today, having played for Northamptonshire in 2003.

Bopara will return to bat at number three.

Northants will include Bopara's England colleague Monty Panesar and Nel's powerful former South Africa team-mate Lance Klusener, but Australian batsman Chris Rogers is out with a broken finger.

Northamptonshire: (from) Sales (captain), Peters, Afzaal, White, Klusener, Crook, Wessels, Crook, Dawson, van der Wath, Wigley, Panesar, Lucas, Logan, Brown.

Essex: (from) Irani (captain), Cook, Pettini, Chopra, Bopara, Foster, Middlebrook, Phillips, Tudor, Napier, Nel, Kaneria.