Kashif Ali's maiden century buoys Worcestershire on Division One return

Kashif Ali scored an accomplished maiden century as Worcestershire made a solid 316 for 7 against Warwickshire on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship season at Edgbaston.

Kashif struck 110 off 188 balls and Gareth Roderick added a nuggety 68 as the visitors returned to Division One with a strong day's work following promotion last year.

Warwickshire captain Alex Davies chose to bowl in his first game in charge but without Hasan Ali, whose arrival as overseas player has been delayed by a Pakistan training camp, and the injured Liam Norwell, his bowling attack lacked penetration on a good batting pitch.

Kashif took advantage in composed fashion. Having ended the 2023 season with a career-best 93 against Yorkshire, he launched 2024 in similarly confident fashion to harvest a richly-deserved maiden ton.

Warwickshire's bowlers hoped to exploit early moisture in the pitch but barely a ball deviated off the straight during a morning session in which the only wicket fell to a long hop.

Roderick flicked the first ball of the season to the midwicket boundary and, with Jake Libby, put 50 on the board in 12 overs as Olly Hannon-Dalby and Chris Rushworth found rhythm elusive in the strong wind. Hannon-Dalby and Rushworth between them took 51% of Warwickshire's Championship wickets last season but got little past the broad bats of the openers.

Libby made an assured 38 before departing in ire at gifting his wicket. He top-edged a pull to deep midwicket where Danny Briggs took a fine low catch to give debutant Michael Booth his maiden first-class wicket. Booth, who has emulated the great Bob Wyatt in making his debut in a Warwickshire-Worcestershire season-opener at Edgbaston, now sits just 900 first class wickets behind the former Bears and Pears skipper.

While Roderick settled into the anchor role, Kashif batted fluently to score 39 of the first 50 added by the second-wicket pair. Roderick reached his half-century from 112 balls and Kashif followed to his from 92, then celebrated by hoisting Booth into the Family Stand for six.

As Warwickshire went on the defensive, the second-wicket pair added 103 in 40 overs. Medium-pacers Ed Barnard and Will Rhodes made the batters work hardest for their runs and it was Rhodes who broke through when he prised some bounce from the pitch and Roderick edged to Rob Yates at slip.

Rob Jones, playing his first championship match for Worcestershire, settled in calmly to add 55 in 19 overs with Kashif. Jones then tickled a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess off Briggs and Adam Hose soon edged Barnard to slip.

Warwickshire's bowlers had toiled on the placid surface but they kept going and were rewarded with two wickets with the second new ball. Kashif lifted Hannon-Dalby to cover and when Brett D'Oliviera edged Rushworth behind, the first six wickets had fallen to different bowlers.

Matthew Waite's lusty 37 from 42 balls restored Worcestershire's momentum and though he edged the impressive Rhodes behind just before the close, with overseas allrounders Jason Holder and Nathan Smith making their debuts, Worcestershire have built a platform of promise in this match.