Bresnan: “Winning trophies is the reason why I wanted to join Warwickshire”

Tim Bresnan believes the 2021 championship triumph is "just the start" for this Warwickshire squad - and he is determined to do all he can to help them bring more silverware to Edgbaston in 2022.

In his first full season with the Bears, former England all-rounder Bresnan was massively influential as the club secured a historic LV=Insurance County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy double.

He contributed important runs and wickets and also numerous vital slip catches – his brilliant pouching of Dawid Malan off Liam Norwell off the last ball of a day at Headingley was a defining moment in the season. His composure and experience around the younger players was also invaluable, especially at high-pressure times during the campaign.

Bresnan was pivotal to the championship triumph, but it was far from all ‘give’ for the 36-year-old. He took immense satisfaction and joy from the team’s success which has thoroughly vindicated his decision to leave Yorkshire to join the Bears.

“Winning trophies, as we have done, is the reason why I wanted to join Warwickshire,” Bresnan said. “I just wanted to play more cricket and win silverware and when I said that to Paul Farbrace, he told me about his plans and who he was bringing in and I loved what I was hearing.

“He knew he had some really talented young players around the place who just needed a bit of experience around them, so he brought in myself and Danny Briggs and Danny has been phenomenal. He has had a massive impact with his bowling and his batting and also his temperament. You need calmness and composure in certain situations and Danny’s got tons of it.

“I’m going to play for another year. Farbs grabbed me as I was climbing the stairs at the end of the Somerset game and said, ‘don’t you dare call it a day’ and I do believe this is just the start for this group of players. There is no reason why we can’t kick on from here.

Tim Bresnan

“To win the championship is an unbelievable feeling and to add another one to my CV next year would be amazing – the stuff of wildest dreams.”

Next season promises much after the Bears won the championship ahead of schedule this time round when few people expected the largely young squad to be ready to mount a serious challenge. Only the shrewdest and most perceptive of observers tweeted, pre-season, that the Bears would win a trophy.

But then came eye-catching early victories against resurgent Nottinghamshire and reigning champions Essex and suddenly that belief started to grow.

“Those great wins against Notts and Essex turned hope into belief,” Bresnan said. “Then we won at Derby and all of a sudden we’re high in the table and thinking ‘hang on a minute, we are a side that can win games and beat the best teams.’

“All season the bowling attack was phenomenal. We hunted as a pack, often went at only two an over, built a load of pressure and got wickets at key times. The batters have done a brilliant job, scoring important runs when they were needed, and we have a good young squad who are really talented and, as a group, we have learned how to win over the last six months.”