County Championship: Warwickshire v Essex - Peter Siddle takes 3-52 on return

Will Rhodes hit 26 off 58 balls before becoming Peter Siddle's first County Championship victim of the summer

Peter Siddle claimed three wickets on his Essex return but a dogged effort from Warwickshire's tail left their County Championship game evenly poised.

Veteran Australia seamer Siddle (3-52) struck to remove Will Rhodes, Matt Lamb and Olly Stone as Simon Harmer (3-83) also impressed on day two at Edgbaston.

The hosts appeared in trouble at 129-5 but Lamb stuck around with a vital 47.

Tailenders Craig Miles (22no) and Danny Briggs (32no) dug in as Warwickshire closed on 243-8, a deficit of just 52.

Siddle, who took 71 wickets in 15 matches for Essex in 2018 and 2019, helping them to the Championship title in the latter year, missed their opening two matches because of Covid-19 quarantine protocols.

The 36-year-old announced his return by bowling Bears skipper Rhodes (26) after his fellow opener Rob Yates (four) had fallen to Sam Cook in similar fashion.

However, India batsman Hanuma Vihari (32), Sam Hain (36) and Lamb stayed patient, the latter occupying the crease for almost two and a half hours, to keep the defending champions at bay for lengthy spells.

Miles and Briggs were just as impressive, seeing out the majority of the day's final session to take Warwickshire within touching distance of a second batting point by sharing a stand of exactly 50, with Briggs hitting the Bears' first six of the season off Siddle late in the afternoon.

Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes:

"Essex are by far and away the best side in the country. We need to stick in there and go toe-to-toe with them for as long as possible.

"It was a very positive day for us. To be 50 behind with a couple of wickets in the shed, if we can score a few more in the morning and then put them under pressure with the ball, then anything can happen.

"The fight we showed against a very very good attack was impressive and leaves us in a good position."

Essex head coach Anthony McGrath:

"I was disappointed with our first innings. We were probably 50 or 70 short, but the bowlers were absolutely magnificent.

"It is quite a slow wicket, but we chipped away all day and they never got away from us, scoring at 2.3/2.4 per over all day. We will bowl far worse than that and bowl teams out.

"The game is still in the balance. The third innings, as we saw last week, is really important. Hopefully we can nick them out in the morning with some kind of lead then really bat well because, on that wicket, Harmy will come into his own."