Stuart Barnes believes the dressing room will look to keep up the momentum they built in the latter stages of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Lancashire on to Tuesday’s match with Middlesex.
A bowler light following Chris Rushworth’s calf injury, the Bears built pressure with the ball throughout the third day, leaving the match finely poised.
Arriving at Edgbaston on Saturday, and ready to chase down a total, they were faced with heavy showers that forced both sides to shake hands just after lunch.
Whether the team would have done that we’ll never know, but Barnes was confident having seen how the team read the game throughout the contest.
“We were confident in how we finished the last game and we’ll take that momentum into the next,” said the Bowling Coach. “We fancied our chances on day four and there were things that we learnt during the game, but we’ll never know what would have happened.
“I wasn’t surprised we had got them 150/7 after winning the toss because we bowled well. We have bowled well several times this year and the skill level we’ve shown continued on that first day. We executed the line and length to attack the edge, but in games at this level, you rarely bowl them out quickly. The opponents will always have a period in the game and that was theres.”
Appointed in December, Barnes joined up with the squad full-time from January following a spell at Surrey as Bowling and Assistant Coach roles with Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Now with six months under his belt, the 53-year-olds is enjoying the task at hand.
“I knew it was going to be exciting as we have such a range of skills groups within the unit,” added Barnes. “Having Woakesy come in was a bonus as we weren’t sure we’d have him at any point. It’s no surprise to see him have success in the Tests he’s been selected in.
“I’m not surprised we’re competing in every game and that’s a testament to the group and the environment they’re performing within.”
Middlesex is next up, heading to the Midlands on the back of an eight-wicket defeat to Surrey.
Battling at the base of the Division One table, Barnes is well aware of what Warwickshire will face this week.
“Middlesex are a good team and I know Richard Johnson well,” concluded the former right-armer. “I know how he operates and his side will come here being disciplined and prepared. Surrey beat them in the last game, but they are a good team who have beaten a lot of sides this year.
“This is the last game in this specific series and if we play good cricket, by applying pressure over a long period we will get our rewards. That’s the way we approach every game. With the bat, you dig in when the opponent is applying pressure and we’ll look to take the game deep with every opportunity. The weather may play a part, but we’ll keep the ball swinging with the new ball, apply pressure like we have done and keep pushing for victory.”
Squad
Will Rhodes (C) Ed BarnardJacob BethellDanny BriggsHenry BrookesMichael BurgessAlex DaviesSam HainMir HamzaOlly Hannon-DalbyManraj JohalDan MousleyRob Yates
Chris Rushworth is sidelined with a hamstring injury and is due to have his scan tomorrow. Craig Miles, who bowled 14 overs in the Second XI last week, and Liam Norwell should feature during the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Lunch with Legends
Hosted by Brian Halford in the Tom Dollery Lounge, Darren Maddy will be our special guest during the lunch break of Day One.
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.
_s6bZ9Ri.png?clxf=t_general_medium)
%20(1).png?clxf=t_general_medium)
.png?clxf=t_general_medium)
_Q3P0zzz.png?clxf=t_general_medium)
