Preview: Somerset v Warwickshire, County Championship

Warwickshire face their first away game of the season, against Somerset at Taunton tomorrow (Thursday April 28-Sunday 1 May), seeking to keep up the momentum from their superb home win over Essex last week.

tomrawlings

2022-04-27T16:55:00.000Z

Warwickshire face their first away game of the season, against Somerset at Taunton seeking to keep up the momentum from their superb home win over Essex last week.

A ten-wicket LV= Insurance County Championship victory over fellow title-contenders was a real statement of intent from the champions that they do not intend to relinquish their title easily.

It extended their unbeaten run in red-ball cricket to five games - a run which captain Will Rhodes want to build during the remainder of the opening block of four-days games, away to Somerset and Lancashire, at home to Northamptonshire and away to Yorkshire.

"We want to stay unbeaten for as long as we can," the skipper said. "That's five games now, three at the end of last season and two this, so that's fantastic. They have been two very pleasing performances so far this season.

The Bears' squad for the visit to Taunton shows just one change. Aussie paceman Nathan McAndrew is in contention for his debut, having come in for Liam Norwell who has to sit out the match following the concussion injury he received against Essex.

The Bears' solid start to the season sees them sitting fifth in Division One with a game in hand on most of the other teams. Somerset, meanwhile, have suffered a wretched first few weeks with three straight defeats from which they have collected just ten points.

The westcountrymen's hopes of ending their long wait for a Championship title are pretty much over in April, but Rhodes warms that they are a dangerous wounded animal.

"They are a tremendous team despite the way they have started this season," he said. "To lose three from three is a tough place to be. We were there in 2019 and it's a long way back from there but, on the flip side, that's when a team can be very dangerous because they start playing no fear cricket.

"They have a lot of quality in the team with Craig Overton leading their bowling attack and Tom Abell and Tom Banton back in the runs. We are going to have to be on our A game to get a result down there.

"We'll make any decisions we need to make on the team when we see the conditions. We've played at Taunton when it's been flat, we've played there when it's turned and we've played there when it's seamed so we'll go there with all bases covered in the squad and see what we get."

Squad

Will Rhodes (C)Chris BenjaminDanny BriggsHenry BrookesMichael Burgess (WK)Alex DaviesSam HainOlly Hannon-DalbyMatt LambNathan McAndrewCraig MilesDom SibleyRob Yates

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