Warwickshire v Worcestershire: Bears v Pears, rain, more rain and maybe some cricket?
- Published
The weather may prove the winner in the season opener at Edgbaston
The 2024 County Championship season gets going for its joint earliest ever start on Friday - with Warwickshire's Bears-Pears derby at home to rivals Worcestershire arguably the highlight.
Yet, after England's wettest 18 months on record, all anyone really wants to talk about is the weather.
Every county's pre-season preparations have been badly interrupted - and it may be a while before this season really gets going.
Worcestershire, already scheduled to play their first two games away from home because of their ongoing flood threat and now forced to stage their opening two home matches at Kidderminster, will have their two overseas signings Jason Holder and Nathan Smith making their debut.
Warwickshire, who will be without injured Pakistan paceman Hasan Ali, have former Pears all-rounder Ed Barnard fit following winter surgery to face his old county for the first time in red-ball cricket- and hope to have Liam Norwell fit to start his first Championship game since September 2022.
But the forecast still suggests that it is likely to be a weather-hit encounter at Edgbaston, with rain expected on at least three of the four days. And that is a massive frustration to former West Indies skipper Holder in particular.
Within three hours of flying into England on Tuesday, Holder was practising in the nets at Chester Road, along with New Zealander Smith.
"Jason was really keen to get out there," said head coach Alan Richardson. "And that has been great. And Nathan arrived on Monday. He also came to practise on Tuesday to stretch his legs after the flight.
"Trying to find overseas players is a lot harder than 20-30 years ago with franchise cricket and this year we've got the added complication of a T20 World Cup. But Jason was really keen.
Jason Holder will be looking to transfer his white-ball form back to red-ball cricket in his five games for Worcestershire
"He's been playing for Barbados and played quite a lot of four-day cricket recently. He was keen to continue and then go to the World Cup with the West Indies.
"With Nathan we had heard so many good things about him as a character and, as with Jason, glowing references about how he is off the park as well.
"We will hugely benefit from his wealth of experience and, although he has not played first-class cricket over here before, Nathan is just eager to get out there."
The Pears are without winter signing Tom Taylor, who injured his knee in an accidental outfield collision in a warm-up game this week, leaving the space clear for former skipper Joe Leach, being nursed back after knee surgery in January.
It is the first Championship meeting between the two sides since the post-Covid season of 2021 when the competition was briefly formatted in three groups of six.
Both matches, at Edgbaston in early May and at New Road in July, were drawn as the Bears finished second in their six-team group before going on to become county champions, topping a second six-team reformed Division One over a further four matches to win the title.
Alex Davies has succeeded Will Rhodes as Warwickshire captain
The Bears, captained by new skipper Alex Davies for the first time, and with paceman Craig Miles being allowed out on loan to Glamorgan, have five survivors left from that last meeting three summers ago - former skipper Will Rhodes, Rob Yates, Sam Hain, Michael Burgess and Norwell.
"Will has passed on the team in a good place," Robinson told BBC Radio WM. "It's not an easy job and Alex follows in some big shoes. But he's there by right, with how well he did in the T20 team.
"The key for us is keeping our bowlers fit and the big bonus is having Liam Norwell fully fit, compared to where we were last year."
The visitors have just four players from their last meeting - captain D'Oliveira, opener Jake Libby and pacemen Leach and Finch, as the newly promoted Pears prepare to make a determined start to a season which is not due to end until 29 September - the longest-ever Championship season.
Warwickshire (from): Davies (capt), Barnard, Benjamin, Bethell, Booth, Briggs, Burgess, Hain, Hannon-Dalby, Mousley, Norwell, Rhodes, Rushworth, Yates
Worcestershire (from): D'Oliveira (capt), Libby, Roderick, Kashif Ali, Jones, Hose, Holder, Waite, Smith, Leach, Finch, Pollock, Brookes, Darley, Baker