Director of cricket Dougie Brown has called on his Warwickshire team to display their “ruthlessness” when they face Nottinghamshire in the Specsavers County Championship at Edgbaston tomorrow.
The Bears will be chasing a double over Nottinghamshire after their 53-run win at Trent Bridge last month, a remarkable victory forged from the fragile foundation on 17 for four after the first hour’s play.
Centuries from Chris Woakes and Keith Barker turned the match round and after Varun Chopra and Jonathan Trott (with his second half-century of the match) left the home side a target of 247, Barker and Chris Wright shared seven wickets to bowl Nottinghamshire out.
That remains the Bears’ only championship win so far this season, last week’s tussle with Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford having ending in a fluctuating and hard-fought draw after the Bears finished on 195 for two having been set a notional target of 312 in a minimum of 72 overs.
“It was a really good game,” said Brown, “a hard-fought draw with some excellent cricket which again showed how strong this league is. Both sides had periods on top but both showed the resilience to fight their way out of trouble.
“On the last afternoon Ian Ball and Jonathan Trott batted really well on a turning pitch to see us to a draw. Looking at the score it sounds comfortable but wickets had fallen in clusters all through the game so Belly and Trotty knew we needed to prevent new batsmen having to go in on a wearing pitch.
“The target Lancashire set us was never realistic. All through the game runs were scored at two or two-and-a-half an over so chasing four and a half was not feasible. Most times either side tried to score quickly during the match they lost wickets.
“It was another solid performance from us but we just need to show more ruthlessness at certain times. That’s what we need to do against Nottinghamshire – to come fast out of the blocks well, get ahead of the game and then stay ahead of it.
The Bears have named an unchanged 13-strong squad as they prepare to face a Nottinghamshire team licking its wounds from a shock 228-run defeat to Surrey at The Kia Oval.
“There’s no doubt there will be a response to that defeat from Nottinghamshire,” said Brown. “They are a good side and I don’t think their position in the table at the moment does them justice.
“We have just got to go out there and play the strong cricket which we have done at times in every game this season, but more consistently. We want to build pressure and then maintain it and get ourselves our first home championship win of the season.”
Warwickshire Squad
- Ian Bell (Captain)
- Mark Adair
- Tim Ambrose (Wicket-Keeper)
- Keith Barker
- Varun Chopra
- Rikki Clarke
- Sam Hain
- Oliver Hannon-Dalby
- Jeetan Patel
- Josh Poysden
- Boyd Rankin
- Jonathan Trott
- Andy Umeed
