Young guns can tip balance back in Bears’ favour
YOU look at Warwickshire and at times it’s a head-scratcher. A team littered with individual brilliance, the Edgbaston outfit are quite rightly tipped up as one of the favourites in preseason – however in recent years the talent at their disposal has failed to click as a unit.
But with Ashley Giles back and overseeing all cricket from the senior XI down to the academy, Warwickshire are making the right noises in order to reverse the trend of being the Championship’s ‘nearly men’ (in fact, they ‘nearly’ went down last season – a final-round win against Lancashire edging them up to the relative safety of sixth place). And, with Bears legend Jim Troughton carrying out Giles’ orders as coach, there is a strong message being sent out to the likes of Yorkshire and Middlesex – who many see as having the edge on them when it comes to winning the street tussles needed to stand above the rest.
The remit to rekindle the GilesTroughton partnership seems an obvious one. They were captain and coach the last time Warwickshire won the Championship in 2012, and Troughton’s respect in the dressing room will allow him to work closely with the senior players – such as Jonathan Trott, Ian Westwood, Rikki Clarke, Tim Ambrose and of course his brother-in-law and club captain, Ian Bell.
That backbone of players reveals both a positive and negative for Warwickshire’s fortunes; experience will win them the odd battle, but with the heart of the side over the age of 30, time may well be running out for them. Perhaps this is where Giles’ role as an overseer of the empire will come to fruition: identifying up-and-coming talent that has the playing ingredients to mix it with the county’s more illustrious names. Indeed, on the club’s pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Giles was keen to throw a number of uncontracted players into the mix to see how they would respond, and the noises that came back were positive ones.
The loss of Varun Chopra to Essex may well harm Warwickshire’s hopes more in white-ball cricket than red – although the experienced opener is never one to shy away from making gritty runs. But collectively the batting has to improve; no player tipped the scales above 1,000 runs last season, with Trott’s 975 the best of the bunch and Bell’s paltry return of 678 at just 33.9 being an indication that his powers are not what they once were.
That said, with the door to England selection still slightly ajar last season, there was always pressure on the skipper’s shoulders and now, with a recall seemingly out of the question and a winter being invigorated Down Under in the Big Bash, Bell may well be encouraged to loosen up for Warwickshire’s cause. Chasing international honours are a thing of the past.
If the batsmen can score the runs that come with their high profiles, then there will be plenty of life in the bowling. The returning off-spin of Jeetan Patel, not to mention the highly-rated pace of Olly Stone – recruited from Northamptonshire – will be at the heart of Warwickshire’s quest for 20 wickets.
Man to man, Warwickshire have the muscle to mix it with the best. An injection of youth would complement what is already in the locker, while getting the most out of Chris Woakes – whenever the all-rounder is available – will be critical. One thing is for certain: Giles and Troughton need to find their feet in the Championship quickly. If they get their noses in front, they could become a tough nut to crack.