Barnard on first week as a Bear

Ed Barnard has completed his first week as a Bear and he admits it's "great to be around the lads".

The 26-year-old, who signed a three-year contract during the summer, is looking to settle quickly and put in the hard yards over the winter.

“Yeah, it’s brilliant. It’s great to be around the lads,” said the all-rounder. “Obviously, it’s been a while coming and I’ve been really excited for a long time to get here. To actually get in and get some work done and meet all the lads has been really nice.

“I’ve played with some of the lads before and with the nature of county cricket these days, you play so much cricket against each other, you get to socialise a little bit. So, it’s fun, a lot of familiar faces and like I said, everyone’s been really welcoming and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Barnard’s record for the Pears has been impressive, taking 386 wickets with his right-arm seam bowling while scoring 3,753 first class runs with five centuries, after graduating through the academy to become a first-team linchpin in all formats. 

But when he was offered the opportunity to be a Bear and call Edgbaston home, Barnard says it was a straight forward decision.

“The Club is massive and I think it’s probably one of the best Clubs in England, so it’s hard when you get the opportunity to say no to a ground like this. That’s very exciting to have it as my home ground.

“I consider myself a three dimensional player and I like to play across all formats. Obviously, the Club is very strong in both formats here and the side is not easy to get into.

“But I won’t shy away from the battle and I want to be involved in the game at all times, whether that’s bat, ball, or on the field. I’m hoping to put in the hard work and then put my case forward for the next summer.”