Preview: Somerset v Warwickshire, County Championship (2024)

Rob Yates returns to the Warwickshire squad as the Bears look to build on last week’s gritty draw against Hampshire with victory at Taunton.

briggford

2024-06-29T15:30:00.000Z

Rob Yates returns to the Warwickshire squad as the Bears look to build on last week’s gritty draw against Hampshire with victory at Taunton.

Allrounder Yates – Warwickshire’s third top run scorer (530) and second leading wicket taker (14) in the County Championship – missed the rear guard action that salvaged a share of the spoils at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

He’s been sidelined with illness – which also kept him out of Bears last two Vitality Blast games – but the 24-year-old could feature against Somerset.

Fellow spinner Danny Briggs is rested for the trip south so Jake Lintott is drafted into the side for what is Warwickshire’s final red ball game before the five-match run-in starting with the reverse fixture against Somerset on 22 August at Edgbaston.

“It’s hard to know what to expect at Somerset,” said First Team Coach Mark Robinson, “as we’ve had wickets there in the past with excessive turn but this season they’re prepared some that are emerald green that have done a lot for two days. We need to prepare well and get all bases covered.

“Somerset are having one of their best red ball seasons in recent years (third in Division One) so it’ll be a stiff test and we’ll have to perform well.

“Briggsy has had a heavy workload recently and we can't afford him to go down at the moment with us going straight into two big T20 games on the road in 48 hours. Rob's return allows him to get some valuable rest ahead of those games at Headingley and Trent Bridge.

“We didn’t win our last match but we were pleased in the end with a draw. Not many people would have given us a chance going into Day Four but is showed the fight and resilience in the side.

“We were under pressure but an outstanding innings from Sam Hain helped us get a valuable draw. He’s coming back to his best at the right time and Sam views that innings as one of his best for the club.

"We know we have to improve in certain areas. We'll look to do that, and build on the good work against Hampshire, to get the win we are all working towards."

Injury Update: Woakes working his way back into Warwickshire frame

Olly Hannon-Dalby – whose six wickets against Hampshire took him to 24 for the campaign – again leads the attack alongside Chris Woakes as he looks to stake a claim for inclusion in England’s Test side to face the West Indies in July.

Chris Rushworth is still struggling with a back injury and Liam Norwell suffered a recurrence of his pectoral injury while claiming four wickets in the Second XI against Worcestershire last week.

Pakistan pace duo Hassan Ali (elbow) and Aamir Jamal (back) both miss out, while Che Simmons is expected to continue his recovery from injury with a Second XI run-out next week.

Squad

Ed BarnardJacob BethellMichael BoothMichael Burgess (wk)Alex Davies (C)Sam HainOlly Hannon-DalbyJake LintottCraig MilesDan MousleyWill RhodesChris 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. 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 X (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.