Mark Robinson believes his side are in for a ‘tough test’ against Hampshire, but it’s one his team ‘will relish’.
Warwickshire head to the south coast looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat to current County Champions and league leaders Surrey.
Having beaten Kent by an innings and 14 runs at Edgbaston in their home opener and only rain denying Will Rhodes’ men a likely victory at Somerset in the opening round of fixtures, Robinson’s troops sit in fifth, looking to significantly add to their points tally.
“We lived with Surrey for two days and got blown away in one session,” said Robinson. “It was disappointing from that point of view, but we’ve got to dust ourselves down and move on.
“We’re showing some promising signs and we think we're going in the right direction. There was a touch of a reality check to make sure we don't get too carried away after the start we made.
“We’ve had some standout performances so far this season and Hampshire is another chance for players to take their opportunities.
“We expect a tough game, as they were there or thereabouts last season, but we relish the challenge. They have a good attack, who play with an edge, so we’re looking forward to testing ourselves once again.”
Robinson has taken a 13-player squad to the Ageas Bowl with Danny Briggs returning to the fray for the first time this season. The spinner had knee surgery over the winter but is now fully fit after featuring in two Second XI fixtures.
Absentees include Hassan Ali (rested) plus Jacob Bethell and Liam Norwell (both back).
“We’ve got to make sure everyone’s firing on all cylinders,” the 56-year-old added. "That’s why we’ve got the depth that we have.
“There’s a chance for Danny Briggs to return as he’s back to where he wants to be with overs and wickets under his belt.
“We’re in a privileged position as we’ve played five seamers in the last three games, due to the wickets and conditions. A perfectly balanced attack is usually four, but with Jacob Bethell out it wasn’t possible against Surrey.
“Hassan signed for all formats, and we must manage his workload after the start he’s made. He’s been impressive and a huge character within the dressing room.”
Henry Brookes is also unavailable after joining Derbyshire on loan.
Squad
Will Rhodes (c)Ed BarnardChris BenjaminDanny BriggsMichael BurgessAlex DaviesSam HainOlly Hannon-DalbyCraig MilesDan MousleyChris RushworthChris WoakesRob 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, with BBC commentary, and a live text commentary. 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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