Poor "Mads".

Can somebody catch hold of Lady Luck, sit her down and ask her why she has got it so spectacularly in for poor Darren Maddy?

After broken digits and then a snapped knee ligament that cost him all of last season now he has NINE facial fractures after a delivery from Neil Carter got underneath his helmet visor in a practice match in South Africa yesterday.

Remarkably, a consultant has said the best-case scenario is that Maddy will be back playing in a month. It will probably be a bit longer than that though and after 11 months grafting to return from his knee operation it is a real blow for this most likeable player and, more pragmatically, for a Warwickshire team not over-endowed with batting strength in depth.

Lady Luck should take a good long look at herself.