Warwickshire return to red ball action on Thursday (22 August) as Somerset visit Edgbaston in the first of five County Championship matches to conclude the season.
First Team Coach Mark Robinson hopes to welcome back seamer Chris Rushworth who’s been out of action since April when suffering a back injury against his former side Durham.
But he’s been dealt a blow with news that Sam Hain has a hamstring strain and misses the visit of second placed Somerset.
Olly Hannon-Dalby took eight wickets in the reverse fixture at the start of July, including season best figures of 6/56, and lies third in the list of Vitality County Championship Division One’s leading wicket takers with 32.
Michael Rae is in line to join OHD in the attack after impressing in Championship games at Essex and Lancashire – when he took eight wickets – and with his performances at the end of the One Day Cup campaign.
Warwickshire have taken more bonus points than any other team in Division One but remain without a win in nine games.
The paradox is not lost on Robinson who admits the league table paints a frustrating picture.
“It is frustrating as I believe we’ve played better than the table suggests,” he said. “We’ve been hit by the weather when we’ve been in winning positions. We were well on top at Essex but then had a crazy hour that proved costly.
“And in our last outing at Somerset we played well, played positively, wanted to force a result and rolled the dice with a declaration that ultimately saw them chase down over 400.
Robinson said the prognosis on Hain’s injury was unclear but that his physio team will be working hard to get him back as soon as possible.
His absence sees Hamza Shaikh come into the County Championship squad for the first time this season.
He added: “This game is certainly too soon for Sam. We’ll work hard to get him back but it’s important not to rush him back too quickly and cause more damage.
“Rushy is in contention. He’s done really well, worked hard and played club and Second XI cricket. But he’s a bit down on multi-day cricket in recent weeks so we’ll together make a decision on whether he’s ready to play
“We’ll plan and prepare to win as we always do, looking at small gains that can give us an advantage, and we’ll look after each other. If you’re consistent in the processes and the things you believe in, then the more chance you have of coming out on top.”
Squad
BarnardBenjaminBethellBoothBriggsBurgessDaviesHannon-DalbyMousleyRaeRhodesRushworthShaikhYates
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 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 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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