Olly Stone: Warwickshire's injured England paceman to join Notts on three-year deal

Olly Stone has played three Tests and in four ODIs since leaving Northants for Warwickshire in 2016

Injured England fast bowler Olly Stone is to leave Warwickshire to join Nottinghamshire for the 2023 season.

The ex-Northants paceman, 28, who has signed a three-year contract at Trent Bridge, will move when his current deal expires at the end of this season.

Stone, who has been badly hit by back problems, is currently sidelined with a broken finger.

He injured it on Second XI duty for the Bears, attempting to gain match fitness playing against Notts this week.

"I feel physically in the best shape I've been in," said Stone. "The ball is coming out nicely. My pace is where it needs to be. Now it's just about putting a run of games together and performances to back it up.

"I've always had good games against Nottinghamshire, and I love playing at Trent Bridge. It is a great ground. When the option came up to make it my home, it was really exciting. The pitch has pace and bounce. Hopefully I can make the most of that."

Notts are currently in Division Two of the County Championship, but are well clear at the top of the table and on course for promotion. It is possible that they could swap places with the Bears.

'It will be very exciting to be part of a group on the up'

Injury-hit reigning county champions Warwickshire are struggling this season after winning the title last summer - and are just 12 points clear of the relegation places with four games left.

"Notts are having a really strong season," said Stone. "And they will continue to be there or thereabouts in white-ball cricket. It will be very exciting to be part of a group that is on the up.

"I'd love to win trophies at the club - that's what you play the game for," he added.

Stone, who has taken 150 first-class wickets in 44 games at an average of 24.78, has taken 10 of them in his three Test appearances.

But he has only played 18 red-ball games in five seasons at Edgbaston, taking 68 at 19.30, including 16 of them in five of the Bears' 14 matches when they won their first title in nine years last summer.

"Being part of a Championship winning squad is something I will always remember," said Stone, "as was as taking part in finals day at our home ground in 2017 (when the Bears lost in the final to Notts).

"Playing a Test at Edgbaston was a special highlight."

'It's disappointing that Olly has made this decision'

Bears director of cricket Paul Farbrace said: "While it's disappointing that Olly has made this decision, we of course respect it.

"We know our bowling attack is an area we need to strengthen. We have already made some movements as we look to enhance the squad for 2023, in additional to the recent signings of all-rounders Ed Barnard and Moeen Ali."

Stone had surgery to insert a screw into a stress fracture in his back a year ago, which ruled him out of last winter's Ashes and left him worried about his Test cricket future.

But Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores is hopeful that there is a lot more to come, with Stone having only been offered a shorter-term deal by the Bears.

"Olly is a fantastic bowler across all formats, as he has shown across a long period of time," said Moores. "His pace and aggression have proved a handful in the games he has played against us.

"He has experienced some highs as a player, in winning trophies and playing for his country, but he continues to possess great drive and an insatiable appetite to keep improving."

With a bizarre sense of irony, Stone was also carrying an injury - a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament - after over-celebrating taking the wicket of Moeen in a T20 game, when the announcement was made that he had signed for the Bears in July 2016.