Giles inherits squad in transition
ESPNcricinfo previews Warwickshire's prospects for the 2017 season
George Dobell
04-Apr-2017
Warwickshire's Royal London Cup success could not mask problems in other areas • Getty Images
Last season:
Championship: 6th Div 1; NatWest Blast: 6th North Group; Royal London Cup: Winners
In: Olly Stone (Northamptonshire), Grant Elliott (Kolpak)
Out: Varun Chopra (Essex), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Richard Jones (Leicestershire), Recordo Gordon, Jonathan Webb, Freddie Coleman (all released)
Overseas: Jeetan Patel (NZ), Colin de Grandhomme (NZ, T20)
Championship: 6th Div 1; NatWest Blast: 6th North Group; Royal London Cup: Winners
In: Olly Stone (Northamptonshire), Grant Elliott (Kolpak)
Out: Varun Chopra (Essex), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Richard Jones (Leicestershire), Recordo Gordon, Jonathan Webb, Freddie Coleman (all released)
Overseas: Jeetan Patel (NZ), Colin de Grandhomme (NZ, T20)
2016 in a nutshell
Most clubs would be pretty content with a season that brought a trophy and mid-table Division One finish. But not Warwickshire. Concluding - not without some justification - that the Royal London success "papered over cracks", the club sacked their director of cricket, Dougie Brown, and replaced him with Ashley Giles at the end of the season. It is true that Brown had lost the confidence of some senior players, but those players might have done well to reflect on their own performances, too. The batting, in particular, was oddly fragile (Ian Bell averaged a modest 33.90 and Sam Hain failed to deliver on his obvious promise in the Championship by averaging 22.75) but a fall-out between Brown and former captain, Varun Chopra, saw the club stubbornly refuse to pick him in white-ball competitions and led to his inevitable departure at the end of the season. Laurie Evans, frustrated at his lack of red-ball opportunities, was granted a release from his contract a year early. The bowling, led by Keith Barker's swing and Jeetan Patel's spin, was more impressive, while in limited-overs cricket Rikki Clarke continued to bowl well. If the highlight of their season was the Royal London Cup win - a victory built on the sort of old-fashioned approach of which Jonathan Trott is the master - the biggest disappointment was failure to qualify for the knockout stages of the Blast due, on the whole, to the failure of the batsmen to support the good work of the bowlers.
Most clubs would be pretty content with a season that brought a trophy and mid-table Division One finish. But not Warwickshire. Concluding - not without some justification - that the Royal London success "papered over cracks", the club sacked their director of cricket, Dougie Brown, and replaced him with Ashley Giles at the end of the season. It is true that Brown had lost the confidence of some senior players, but those players might have done well to reflect on their own performances, too. The batting, in particular, was oddly fragile (Ian Bell averaged a modest 33.90 and Sam Hain failed to deliver on his obvious promise in the Championship by averaging 22.75) but a fall-out between Brown and former captain, Varun Chopra, saw the club stubbornly refuse to pick him in white-ball competitions and led to his inevitable departure at the end of the season. Laurie Evans, frustrated at his lack of red-ball opportunities, was granted a release from his contract a year early. The bowling, led by Keith Barker's swing and Jeetan Patel's spin, was more impressive, while in limited-overs cricket Rikki Clarke continued to bowl well. If the highlight of their season was the Royal London Cup win - a victory built on the sort of old-fashioned approach of which Jonathan Trott is the master - the biggest disappointment was failure to qualify for the knockout stages of the Blast due, on the whole, to the failure of the batsmen to support the good work of the bowlers.
2017 prospects
This could be a tough year for Warwickshire. With an ageing side and few players coming through - at least in the immediate sense - they look heavily reliant upon the likes of Trott, Bell, Barker and Patel, none of whom are under 30 and three of whom will be 35 or over by mid-April. The T20 batting line-up, in particular, looks light, with the loss of Evans particularly significant. Their best chance of success probably comes in the Royal London Cup, which will again be played on the sort of early season surfaces that may favour the method Warwickshire demonstrated in 2016. Patel will be absent on Champions Trophy duty for the knockout stages, though, and it also seems unlikely the club will see much of Chris Woakes (England duty) or Olly Stone (injury) for much of the season. There are also questions over the availability of Boyd Rankin (who has a bad back) and Ian Westwood (foot injury) at the start of the season and who will open the batting in the Championship.
This could be a tough year for Warwickshire. With an ageing side and few players coming through - at least in the immediate sense - they look heavily reliant upon the likes of Trott, Bell, Barker and Patel, none of whom are under 30 and three of whom will be 35 or over by mid-April. The T20 batting line-up, in particular, looks light, with the loss of Evans particularly significant. Their best chance of success probably comes in the Royal London Cup, which will again be played on the sort of early season surfaces that may favour the method Warwickshire demonstrated in 2016. Patel will be absent on Champions Trophy duty for the knockout stages, though, and it also seems unlikely the club will see much of Chris Woakes (England duty) or Olly Stone (injury) for much of the season. There are also questions over the availability of Boyd Rankin (who has a bad back) and Ian Westwood (foot injury) at the start of the season and who will open the batting in the Championship.
In charge
No one can accuse Giles of seeking an easy ride with his decision to return to Edgbaston. While some supporters have suggested the appointment of so many former Warwickshire players to the coaching staff suggests an element of cosiness, it is more likely that Giles has been appointed to shake things up and drive change. Improving the production line of talent has to be one priority, though intelligent recruitment will be another - expect him to target young or "broken" players at other counties. Neither is likely to bring immediate results. Jim Troughton is the first team coach. It is a big promotion, but he is calm and consistent and appears to have the respect of all involved. Insiders suggest the dressing room environment is already improved on recent years. Bell remains as captain across all formats.
No one can accuse Giles of seeking an easy ride with his decision to return to Edgbaston. While some supporters have suggested the appointment of so many former Warwickshire players to the coaching staff suggests an element of cosiness, it is more likely that Giles has been appointed to shake things up and drive change. Improving the production line of talent has to be one priority, though intelligent recruitment will be another - expect him to target young or "broken" players at other counties. Neither is likely to bring immediate results. Jim Troughton is the first team coach. It is a big promotion, but he is calm and consistent and appears to have the respect of all involved. Insiders suggest the dressing room environment is already improved on recent years. Bell remains as captain across all formats.
Key player
Bell is the key man at Edgbaston. Now with a coaching team he feels will help create the desired environment, Warwickshire must hope he can concentrate more on his on-field responsibilities. In particular, they desperately need his runs this year. He is far too good to be averaging in the early 30s and, if he does so again, there is a fair chance his side will be playing in Division Two next year.
Bell is the key man at Edgbaston. Now with a coaching team he feels will help create the desired environment, Warwickshire must hope he can concentrate more on his on-field responsibilities. In particular, they desperately need his runs this year. He is far too good to be averaging in the early 30s and, if he does so again, there is a fair chance his side will be playing in Division Two next year.
Bright young thing
Hain isn't just the obvious choice in this category, he is almost the only choice. He had a good Royal London campaign last year, but can improve markedly on his Championship returns. Alex Mellor, who is 25 but has hardly started his career, may well open the batting in the Championship and could have a breakthrough season, while Sunny Singh is a left-arm spinner who caught the attention of Giles in pre-season nets and has quickly been promoted to the first-team squad. The likes of Mark Adair and Aaron Thomason, two young cricketers with something about them, are likely to win opportunities in white-ball cricket, too.
Hain isn't just the obvious choice in this category, he is almost the only choice. He had a good Royal London campaign last year, but can improve markedly on his Championship returns. Alex Mellor, who is 25 but has hardly started his career, may well open the batting in the Championship and could have a breakthrough season, while Sunny Singh is a left-arm spinner who caught the attention of Giles in pre-season nets and has quickly been promoted to the first-team squad. The likes of Mark Adair and Aaron Thomason, two young cricketers with something about them, are likely to win opportunities in white-ball cricket, too.
ESPNcricinfo verdict
This could be the start of a painful transitional period for Warwickshire. While they remain, at full strength, a strong team, the absence of experienced support suggests there may be some tricky moments this summer. Expectations should be tempered. Survival in Division One would probably represent a decent campaign.
This could be the start of a painful transitional period for Warwickshire. While they remain, at full strength, a strong team, the absence of experienced support suggests there may be some tricky moments this summer. Expectations should be tempered. Survival in Division One would probably represent a decent campaign.
Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship: 11-2; NatWest Blast 12-1; Royal London Cup 9-1
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo