England all-rounder Moeen Ali is back in Birmingham – and he’s set to make his eagerly anticipated Bears' debut in the Vitality Blast at Derby (2 June).
Ali is fresh from a stunning win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday when he helped guide the Chennai Super Kings to their second title in three years with a thrilling win over Gujarat Titans.
Bears First Team Coach Mark Robinson was happy to grant the 35-year-old a few days to savour the win and settle back into Birmingham.
But Ali – who returns to his hometown club after 16 years with Worcestershire – didn’t want to waste any time before joining up with his new teammates.
And he’s expected to make his home debut at Edgbaston on Saturday (3 June) when the Bears take on Notts Outlaws (6.30pm) in a double-header following Central Sparks clash against Southern Vipers. Tickets are available from only £21 and includes both games, while 5-15 year-olds are £5 and under 5s go free. “It says everything about the man, his passion for cricket and his commitment to the Bears,” said Robinson.
“It’ll be a proud moment for him tomorrow night and of course his experience and quality will only benefit the side and help us build on our great start to the Blast.”
A 21-run win at Northants Steelbacks on Wednesday night was the Bears’ fourth win from four as they cemented their position at the top of the North Group.
Another win at Derbyshire Falcons tomorrow evening will equal the Bears’ best ever start to a T20 campaign. That came back in 2007 when they won their first five games.
Robinson described the Bears’ start to the T20 campaign as “outstanding” but warned there was no time to revel in his side’s 100 per cent start to this year’s Blast as they prepare for two games in two days.
“There’s always things we can work on but what’s pleasing is that different people are chipping in at vital times. Yates (71) and Milo (4/29) stood up at Northants but there were also cameos from Benji and Barney that gave us an over-par score.
“It was pleasing to top 200 again at Northants. It was a lightning outfield, not easy conditions to field in, but we saved some twos – and pinched some twos when batting – and took some sharp catches.”
Ali’s addition means Robinson names a 14-man squad to face the Falcons.
Chris Woakes remains with England while the games tomorrow and Saturday still come too soon for Hassan Ali and Liam Norwell who continue their recoveries from ankle and back injuries respectively.
Squad
Moeen AliEd BarnardChris BenjaminJacob BethellDanny BriggsHenry BrookesAlex DaviesSam HainOlly Hannon-DalbyJake LintottGlenn MaxwellCraig MilesDan MousleyRob Yates
How to follow
Members and supporters can follow the match live in our Match Centre at edgbaston.com. 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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