We are in the middle of our first mini-break of the season and, on balance, I think it has arrived at a good time.
In some ways it’s a shame we haven’t got a game this weekend. Firstly the British summer appears to have well and truly arrived – for now at least – and it also felt like that we had a little bit of momentum behind us after the last two performances.
We followed up the Royal London One-Day Cup victory over a very strong Yorkshire side with an excellent display at Somerset last weekend, where the weather denied us a chance to really push for our first Specsavers County Championship victory of the season.
Grant Thornton has made a really strong impression in the 50-over game and continued that with four wickets in the first innings at Taunton and a second innings wicket for Sunny Singh was the least he deserved for the way he bowled. It bodes well for the future and both lads deserve great credit for the way they have adjusted to first team level.
Ian Bell
But the short break before next week’s trip to Hampshire will give the lads, particularly the bowlers who have played a lot of games, the chance to recharge their batteries and be ready to go again.
The hard work, however, will continue during this 10-day break. With the ICC Champions Trophy beginning next week, the international teams are starting to take over Edgbaston which means we have to find a new home for the next three weeks.
That home, at least for training, will be Rugby School. We have played a few fixtures there in the past, the facilities will be good and the change of scenery will be refreshing.
On the subject of the Somerset game, I was really pleased with the way we applied ourselves and how we tried to force the pace despite losing the best part of two days to the rain.
Jonathan Trott’s brilliant 175 was well backed up with half centuries from Rikki Clarke and Tim Ambrose and to score 413 in the first innings on a turning wicket, albeit one which didn’t spin as much as last year, put us in control.
Taking 20 wickets in the time left after the weather interruptions was always going to be tricky, but it was brilliant for me – and I’m sure the Warwickshire supporters – to see two newcomers shine on their First Class debuts.
Grant Thornton has made a really strong impression in the 50-over game and continued that with four wickets in the first innings at Taunton and a second innings wicket for Sunny Singh was the least he deserved for the way he bowled.
It bodes well for the future and both lads deserve great credit for the way they have adjusted to first team level.
It would be wrong for me to end this column without referring to Marcus Trescothick, who went past 25,000 First Class runs and notched his 50th century for Somerset against us.
When I first broke into the England team, Marcus was a senior player and, from that moment, we have always got on well.
He has always been – and remains – a classy player and deserved the accolades he got at the weekend, even if he was the difference between us earning our first Championship victory of the season and having to settle for the draw.
I had a bit of banter with him over the four days, mainly around the fact he is still playing at nearly 42!
But he continues to prove he is one of Somerset’s key performers and the way he leads from the front is an example to all professional cricketers.
