Warwickshire: Laurie Evans out as Bears make more changes

Warwickshire will once again be forced into chopping and changing again for this week's County Championship clash with in-form Yorkshire at Edgbaston.

The loss of Chris Wright and Chris Woakes on England Lions duty seriously weakened their bowling attack for the drawn game against Middlesex last week.

Both return, along with opener Varun Chopra, but the Bears now lose England Test stars Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell.

And Laurie Evans, who broke a finger against Middlesex, is also sidelined.

The former Surrey batsman has fractured the fifth metacarpal in his left hand after being struck by a sharp delivery from England paceman Steven Finn on Friday, being forced to retire hurt for 59.

Evans, 25, who has made a healthy enough 223 Championship runs at 44.60 so far this summer, is due to see a consultant on Wednesday, but is expected to be out for up to six weeks.

"It's incredibly frustrating to lose Laurie for the next few games," said Warwickshire director of cricket Dougie Brown, "particularly as he had been batting so well against Middlesex.

"He will see a specialist and we will then have a better indication of how long he'll be out for."

Having been been weakened by the departure of Trott and Bell on Test duty (they are in the England team to face New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday), the Bears are also without three other injured players.

Winter signing Oliver Hannon-Dalby is expected to be out for another two weeks after fracturing a bone in his arm while helping his side salvage a draw with the bat against Somerset on 28 April.

And all-rounder Keith Barker (side strain) and opener Ian Westwood (ankle) are both only two thirds into a six-week rehabilitation programme.

The county champions are still unbeaten in five games under new coach Brown, lying promisingly in fourth in the Division One table, but three of their four draws have been badly weather-affected.

And, starting against a Yorkshire side missing three more of England's Test team, Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan and Joe Root, they already have ground to make up on the three sides ahead of them.