Bears will make a late decision over the fitness of Captain Alex Davies who missed Sunday’s win at Trent Bridge with an injured finger.
Davies sat out the comprehensive nine-wicket victory – which made it six Vitality Blast wins on the bounce – after damaging his little finger at Headingley two days earlier.
Chris Benjamin deputised behind the stumps – taking two fine catches as the Outlaws were skittled for just 57 runs – and is again on standby to take the gloves.
Danny Briggs – who played his 500th career game at Trent Bridge – will again skipper the side should Davies fail to recover in time.
First Team Coach Mark Robinson, said: “Benji came in and did a great job and it typified the resilience we’ve shown as a group to overcome the injury set backs we’ve suffered through the campaign.
“It was difficult for him coming in at Leeds. One minute he’s in the outfield and the next he’s taken over the gloves. He looked more comfortable on Sunday, took two good catches, and if needed on Friday I’m sure he’ll do a good job.
“It’s hard to plan for those types of things but the way we responded shows the togetherness of the group and how every player is prepared and can step up when needed.
“Richard Gleeson and Hassan Ali are still out with injury but Moeen Ali coming in is another great new addition and we continue to bed in Zak Foulkes and get him up to speed.”
Those two wins on the road practically secured Bears a place in the quarter finals for the fourth consecutive year.
And a win against local rivals Worcestershire Rapids, in front of the biggest Blast crowd of the season at Edgbaston, will make it mathematically certain.
“It’ll be a fantastic occasion,” added Robinson, “and one we always look forward to when the fixtures are announced at the start of the season.
“There will be around 13,000 fans here I believe so the atmosphere will be great – and it’ll be all the more special if we can get a win and celebrate a quarter final place with the fans.
“It’ll be a big game for Mo playing against his old team and old friends. That’s a little sub-plot within the game, and it’s great to have him back and for our supporters to see one of England’s greats in recent years up close.”
Squad
Moeen AliAlex Davies (C & WK)Ed BarnardChris BenjaminJacob BethellMichael BoothDanny BriggsZak FoulkesGeorge GartonSam HainJake LintottCraig MilesDan MousleyRob Yates
How to follow
Members and supporters can follow the match live in our Match Centre at edgbaston.com, which will include a free-to-watch Live Stream and a live text commentary. You can also see a ball-by-ball feed and watch highlights of all the action. Supporters can get involved by sending their match-day comments and thoughts on Twitter via @WarwickshireCCC and we’ll publish the best ones on our live text commentary in the Match Centre. Supporters can also watch the Live Stream and get instant push notifications of all wickets, innings and match results via the Edgbaston app, which is free to download on iOS and Android. Match updates will also be available across the Club’s social media accounts, simply search for @WarwickshireCCC.
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