Preview: Warwickshire vs Sussex, Metro Bank One Day Cup

Warwickshire v Middlesex - One-Day Cup Preview - Image 2

Warwickshire are third in the Metro Bank One Day Cup table following their victory over Durham on Sunday. Sitting between Somerset and Middlesex, all on 20 points, with just 0.294 the difference in their net run rate, it’s all to play for going into this final round of fixtures.

joshstacey

2025-08-25T17:08:54.000Z

Warwickshire will be confident coming in off the back of three fantastic wins away from home, culminating in a staggering run-chase of 303/6 off 47.4 overs against Durham on Sunday, largely thanks to Captain Ed Barnard, who scored an unbeaten 141 from 120 balls to see his side home.

It was Barnard’s maiden century in this Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign, and it could not have been timelier.

At 81/3, it looked an uphill battle for the Warwickshire team, but with the help of Hamza Shaikh (51) and Michael Booth (43* off 20), Barnard wrapped up the fifth victory out of seven in the competition.

Shaikh said, “Barney was unbelievable today. To lead from the front with bat, ball and as a captain, and then to play that innings was incredible.

He’s had a couple of tough games at the start, but in the big game today, when it mattered, it was amazing to see him show his quality and lead us as a captain and with the bat.”

Warwickshire return to Edgbaston for the first time in the Metro Bank One Day Cup and could look to their spinners to provide an attacking threat and control on the bigger ground.

With most games in the competition being played on smaller outgrounds, the skill, control, and attacking prowess of Warwickshire’s spin attack have been incredibly impressive.

Taz Ali and Jake Lintott have both registered 5fers, with the former taking two in consecutive games. Warwickshire also bowled 33 overs of spin in Liverpool on Friday, claiming eight wickets in the process.

Talking about Warwickshire spin attack, Shaikh said, “Looking at the pitches at Rugby School, they’ve been very conducive to spin. Taz and Jake have both been unbelievable; together, they’ve taken a lot of wickets and have bossed that middle period.”

Sussex have had a middling campaign in the 50-over comp, but still boast some star quality, including Tom Haines, John Simpson, and Jack Carson. However, they have faltered with the bat at times and struggled to post meaningful totals.

Shaikh is assured that Warwickshire will simply look to complete victory over Sussex and hopes that it will be enough to grab one of the vacant quarter-final spots.

“Obviously, it’s a big game”, said Shaikh. “We have to just play out what’s in front of us and hope that we can qualify for the knockouts.

We just need to win the game and see if the results go in our favour. We’ll just be paying attention to what we need to do and not worry about other teams.”