May 2008 Archives

Darren Maddy will have an operation on his fractured thumb tomorrow night and be out for between six and eight weeks so will miss the whole of the Twenty20.

Close: Warwickshire 272 for 4 (86 overs). Frost 54, Botha 41.

In amongst all the blows raining down on the Bears, Frost and Botha batted very well in the final session to lift their team into a position of promise in this match. They have added 105 so far.

There's nothing worse than a seagull.

Except maybe a cormorant.

An outbreak of seagulls has affected the City End for the last hour and one of Warwickshire's erudite supporters has just taken a hit on the shirt.

Vermin.

The seagulls, that is, not Warwickshire's erudite supporters.

Warwickshire 267 for 4 (85 overs). Frost 49, Botha 41. Partnership 100.

Bird scarers were necessary because scarecrows just don't do the job. Birds become accustomed to static figures and actually land on them, as if to mock them, and feed fulsomely around them.

Warwickshire 248 for 4 (76 overs). Frost 38, Botha 35.

Impressive effort from this pair, ensuring Warwickshire don't sustain a damaging first-innings deficit. Botha has just sent a gorgeous flick through mid-wicket that drew comparison with Jack Hobbs.

No-one has got injured in the last hour.

Ashley Giles has just eaten a toasted sandwich.
.
Cheese, I think.

Warwickshire 209 for 4 (61 overs). Frost 17, Botha 21.

Maddy has just left the ground to see a specialist but tells me his right thumb appears to be broken in two places. Weeks out at the least. He imparted this bleak information with his customary courtesy. What a decent chap!

His left thumb is fine.

Zondeki will bat in this match, but probably with a runner. Both his thumbs are fine.

Warwickshire 184 for 4 (53 overs). Frost 11, Botha 5.

Ominous tidings regarding Maddy. In considerable pain, he has had an x-ray on his right thumb and, while the results from that have not been released, he has gone straight to see a fracture specialist.

Looks like vice-captain Westwood could be in for a sizeable stint at the helm.

Suddenly, the Bears face the prospect of the Twenty20 without Jayasuriya and Maddy.

Not all bad news, though. Ant Botha has just tucked a single to fine leg.

Warwickshire 167 for 4 (47 overs). Frost 0, Botha 0.

Powell and Trott added 78 in 18 overs then the latter (50, 53 balls, 10 fours) lifted a hook a Evans to long-leg and, it happens so often, the other member of the partnership promptly also perished as Powell (47, 90 balls, nine fours), was trapped in front and lbw to Hartlepool-born Evans.

Troughton then nicked an outswinger from Murtagh and was out for one.

Maddy is having an x-ray. The Bears are enduring an accident-prone couple of days what with Zondeki, Jayasuriya and now the captain.

Three Canada Geese have just swooped low across the ground, honking loudly.

Warwickshire 165 for 1 (41 overs). Powell 47, Trott 49.

Steady and solid accumulation from these two, punctuated by occasional attractive strokes. Trott struck four fours in an over from Nannes and has unveiled some handsome drives on his way past 5,000 runs for Warwickshire.

Powell doing what Powell does so well. Anchoring.

Warwickshire 94 for 1 (28 overs). Powell 22, Trott 6.

Powell took three fours off a Nannes over and the Bears were ticking along nicely until Maddy was struck on the thumb by a rising ball from Murtagh. Clearly in discomfort, the captain was on his way off the field even before the physio had reached him. Retired hurt, 39.

Zondeki will be on his way back to South Africa very soon. It appears that he has bowled his last ball for the Bears, in which case he departs with first-class figures for the county of 96.2-17-381-9.

Lunch. Warwickshire 76 for 1 (23 overs). Maddy 39, Powell 10.

Maddy has played and missed occasionally but also struck eight fours, most of them coruscating.

Powell square-cut the last ball before lunch handsomely for four.

"Leicestershire's sandwiches look like they have been cut the day before," a press-box occupant has just reminisced.