Patel: Bears are in the white mood to launch cup assault
CAPTAIN Jeetan Patel admits he “couldn’t have asked for much more” from Warwickshire’s players in the opening month of the season.
The Bears turn their attention to white-ball cricket tomorrow, and their Royal London One-Day Cup opener at home to Derbyshire, buoyed by three successive Specsavers County Championship wins.
Patel’s side sit top of the championship Division Two – and now the skipper wants that confidence to carry on into the 50-over format in which the Bears’ fortunes have fluctuated wildly over the past two years.
In 2016 they won the trophy after thrashing Surrey in the final at Lord’s, while last season they finished bottom of the North Group. “Sport goes in cycles,” Patel said. “Sometimes you get in the cycle of winning, when you win games from nowhere, and we did that in 2016 and won the trophy. Then last year wasn’t our year. That happens. “This year is a clean slate and we are going into the tournament with a bit of a buzz around the place after the start we have made in the championship. “The first month of the season was always going to be tough with four championship games and it’s a great position to be in at the top. I couldn’t have asked for much more from the players. “We’ve had a great start and now the next thing is getting our heads round the 50-over cricket and how the game has changed and how we
Sometimes you get in the cycle of winning and we did that in 2016 and won the trophy. Last year wasn’t our year. That happens.
are going to catch up with it.
“As a team and a squad, we are in a good position with guys starting to believe again.
“There is a real desire among the players to bring success to this great club and there have been some standout individual performances, but the key word for me from the start of the season is contributions – everyone is contributing to us getting over the line in games.”
That so many players have contributed is just what a captain wants, although Patel admits that, with so many players vying for selection, he has spent a lot of time with his thinking cap on.
“Team selection has caused me a lot of headaches so far this season and maybe that has shown in my bowling a little bit, to be honest,” he said.