Bonus points and individual form were all that was left to play for on day four of the County Championship clash between Warwickshire and Worcestershire
Match Drawn (Warwickshire: 343 & 70-3, Worcestershire: 364-8). Warwickshire 13 points, Worcestershire 14 points.
To Warwickshire’s credit, they were far from flat in the field in the opening overs, despite day three’s washout at Edgbaston. With Worcestershire resuming on 198-4 in response to the Bears’ season-high total of 343, Tim Bresnan struck in the first over of the day to dismiss Riki Wessels for 17. It was a beautiful delivery that Wessels could only fend to Sam Hain at slip.
With the new ball, Oliver Hannon-Dalby trapped Ben Cox LBW for a quick 23. He will feel unlucky not to have had more wickets, with numerous LBW appeals turned down.
However, this momentum built by the seamers had dissipated by lunch, and as the players returned from the break, the main talking point was whether Jack Haynes would reach his century.
Heartbreakingly, he was run out for 87 in the most unfortunate circumstances in the first over after lunch. Ed Barnard played a straight drive back to Liam Norwell who deflected the ball onto the stumps while Haynes was backing up.
Some aggressive hitting from Barnard (76*) and Alzarri Joseph (17) meant that both sides were searching for bonus point right up until the 110th over in a riveting passage of play.
Worcestershire were undoubtedly the winners of this exciting mini-game of sorts. Warwickshire will be disappointed about the fact they could not claim a third bowling point, and they will be even more disappointed that they let Worcestershire get an improbable fourth batting point, despite needing around eight an over to reach it at one stage. In such a tight group, that could be crucial at the end of the season.
Worcestershire eventually declared on 364-8. Warwickshire were 70-3 when the players shook hands at 16:50.
Speaking to media afterwards, Warwickshire head coach Mark Robinson was pleased with the way the side bounced back from the crushing innings defeat at Durham.
‘You have those matches but they don’t define you – it’s what happens next, and we were able to respond.
We need a little bit more consistency as much as anything’
‘It reassures us that we are on the right track[…]we need a little bit more consistency as much as anything.’
Robinson also confirmed that Bears and England seamer Olly Stone, who only bowled three overs, had ‘a bit of a niggly toe.’
Like this? Check out more from Redbrick Sport:
My Taid and the European Super League
The Tutberidze Figure Skating Saga
Qatar 2022: Will Player Protests Put Controversial Tournament in Jeopardy?
Comments