Blast Preview: Foxes v Bears

The Bears are straight back into Vitality Blast action tonight when they face Leicestershire Foxes at Leicester in search of a fourth successive victory.

A resounding 55-run win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks last night lifted the Bears to the top of the North Group.

Three wins on the bounce on the road is a superb effort and a fourth tonight would complete a perfect platform for the home opener, against Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston on Friday.

Last night's win over the Steelbacks came courtesy of impressive cricket in all departments and Pieter Malan, whose accomplished half-century, along with Sam Hain's, set up the victory, said the Bears are determined to deliver more of the same.

"I was just really happy to contribute to a win for the Bears. It's a fantastic feeling. Hainy played it perfectly and hit boundaries when we needed to and we ran really well which was good. Then the bowlers executed brilliantly and all credit to them."

At Leicester tonight, the Bears will select from the same squad as at Northampton minus Chris Woakes whose workload is being regulated after a long period without cricket. Woakes is scheduled to return to the side, along with England team-mate Olly Stone, against Lancashire on Friday.

Still unavailable are Rob Yates (illness), Adam Hose (hamstring) and Henry Brookes (thigh).

At the Upstonsteel County Ground tonight, the Bears will look to strength their place at the top of the table against a Foxes side which has lost their first four games. The Bears will be favourites...though also aware that the home side's bowling options include one Colin Ackermann who, at Leicester in 2019, recorded the best T20 figures ever against the Bears - 4-0-18-7.

Squad

Will Rhodes (C), Carlos Brathwaite, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Ethan Brookes, Michael Burgess, Sam Hain, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Jake Lintott, Pieter Malan, Craig Miles, Dan Mousley, Ed Pollock

How to follow

Warwickshire Members and supporters will be able to follow all the action via the Match Centre on edgbaston.com and through the Edgbaston app (available for free on iOS and Android).