Robinson: Bears have the belief to tackle champions
WARWICKSHIRE will face champions Essex at Edgbaston today fired by “belief ” taken from their brilliant fightback in the LV= Insurance County Championship win over Nottinghamshire, believes first-team coach Mark Robinson.
Down to ten men from the opening day at Trent Bridge after losing Dom Sibley with a broken finger, the Bears dug deep to stay in the game and then hit back to win by three wickets in the last session of a gripping final day.
That last-day chase, with vital contributions from Sam
Hain, Matt Lamb, Tim Bresnan and Olly Stone, was memorable – but the resilience which earned the result was evident much earlier in the match, said Robinson.
“The players showed a lot of character all through the game. A lot of people contributed and not just on the final day,’’ he said.
“The chase was a terrific effort, from Hainy and Lamby in the morning and then Bres and Olly Stone and Danny Briggs. It was great to see Bres coming in at teatime, as excited as if it was a Test match, and saying to the lads ‘we can do this.’
“But in a win like that, sometimes work done earlier in the game can get overlooked. Danny Briggs batted through a session in the first innings. Hainy batted really well in both innings. The guys bowled very well in the second innings to keep us in the game.
“We were behind the eight ball for a long time, but hung on in there. That’s what you have to do and it’s surprising how many times a side hangs on in there and stays in the game and then it turns and they win it.
“It was a fantastic effort and the lads will take a lot of belief from that. We are not perfect and have a long way to go to deliver the something special that we want to deliver for the Bears’ fans, but that is a start. A result and performance like that validates all the hard work that is being put in.” Next up are Essex in a tussle between the two sides leading the group with 32 points from two games.
It will be a tough test against the champions and the Bears will be without Sibley and also Liam Norwell, whose heel injury will be given a few more days to clear so that he will hopefully be in contention at Durham next week. Dan Mousley, Craig Miles and Henry Brookes come into the squad.
“Essex are a good team, with the likes of Sir Alastair Cook and Simon Harmer,” said Robinson, “but we will relish going up against players of that calibre and have got to work out the right way to approach them.” England batsman Sibley will miss Warwickshire’s next two matches at
It was a fantastic effort and the lads will take a lot of belief from that. We are not perfect and have a long way to go, but that is a start.
Mark Robinson
least. He was hoping to find form in the early part of the domestic season after a challenging winter on the subcontinent but has seen those plans interrupted by the fracture to his right middle finger.
The opener sustained a blow while fielding against Notts and a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board read: “The ECB and Warwickshire medical teams will review Sibley at the end of the month and will then take a view on his return to playing.” Sibley will soon be working with one
of England’s most successful toporder run-scorers of recent times, with Jonathan Trott returning to Edgbaston as a coaching consultant.
Trott spent 15 years with the Bears as a player, winning five trophies before retiring in 2018.
He has since spent time with the England side as a batting mentor, most recently on the Test tour of India, and applied for the full-time role which ultimately went to Marcus Trescothick.
Having previously cut his teeth in a backroom role at Kent, the 39-yearold has rejoined the Bears.
Trott said: “It means a huge amount to me to return to Warwickshire, in this new role as a consultant.
“There’s a lot of talented players in the squad, some of whom I know well from my time within the playing ranks. I’m very excited to have this opportunity and to hopefully supporting the Bears on our journey to becoming a team that consistently challenges for trophies again.”
Director of cricket Paul Farbrace added: “Jonathan knows exactly what it takes to win trophies with Warwickshire and England.
“He will be a great support and mentor to the players and he could play a significant role in developing several members of the squad.’’