Preview: Glamorgan v Warwickshire, Royal London Cup

Wicket-keeper Michael Burgess is relishing the opportunity to captain the Bears in the Royal London Cup.

With Will Rhodes leading the County Select XI against India at Durham and a large group of senior players either selected for The Hundred or injured, Burgess has been given the honour of captaining the Bears at Glamorgan on Thursday for the season opener.

The 27-year-old has previously skippered Loughborough MCCU and the ever-present ‘keeper can’t wait to lead the Bears out at the Sophia Gardens.

“It’s a privilege to captain Warwickshire,” said Burgess.

“On Thursday I’ll probably appreciate how hard Rhodesy’s (Will Rhodes) job is and give him a bit less stick when I’m out in the field alongside him.

“It’s a difficult job that’s very easy when you’re not doing it and everyone’s got their opinions.

“Luckily for the lads, I’ll probably only do one game so they shouldn’t get too sick of me.

Rhodes, Craig Miles and Rob Yates are likely to return to the Bears before Sunday’s home match against Nottinghamshire.

Sam Hain, Danny Briggs, Jake Lintott and Dom Sibley are all unavailable due to The Hundred.

Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Henry Brookes, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Dan Mousley, Liam Norwell, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes are all out injured.

Therefore, with double-digit senior players missing out, there is plenty of opportunity for others.

“My main aim as Captain is to make everyone feel comfortable and contributing towards a performance,” Burgess added.

“I think it’s a lot about understanding as a lot of people are at different stages of their careers.

“It’s slightly different to normal where everyone is in the same position, as there are lots of different people coming in for their first games or first years in contracts.

“I want to give everyone a fair crack of the whip - yes we want to win - but I also want to see people develop and get better by putting people in situations.

“I’ve seen some of the lad's train for the first time today and I’m impressed.

“Hopefully, the senior lads can put their hands up and contribute in ways that take the pressure off the guys who are playing their first games for the club.”

Squad

Michael Burgess (c/wk), Chris Benjamin, Jacob Bethell, Ethan Brookes, Jordan Bulpitt, Ashish Chakrapani, George Garrett, Manraj Johal, Matt Lamb, Ed Pollock, Ryan Sidebottom, Kiel van Vollenhoven.

How to follow

Members and supporters can watch the live stream from Glamorgan via the Match Centre on edgbaston.com and through the Edgbaston app (available for free on iOS and Android).