Liam Norwell is looking ahead to the season's run in with huge excitement as Warwickshire prepare to sustain their challenge for silverware on two fronts.
The Bears face Kent at Canterbury in a Vitality Blast quarter final on Friday before returning to red-ball action with a visit to Lancashire in the LV-Insurance County Championship next Monday. They will resume championship action in an excellent position, top of the table and more than 12 points ahead of three of the other five teams in the elite group.
The Bears have tons to play for at the business end of the season. When paceman Norwell joined from Gloucestershire in 2019 he cited a desire to be part of a team which wins trophies, so the coming weeks are exactly the scenario he had in mind.
“That was one of the lures of Warwickshire and hopefully we can put one or two trophies on the shelf in the next few weeks,” said the 29-year-old. “We are set up for a really exciting finale to the season.
“Kent are a very good team but we have plenty of T20 match-winners and to have players like Danny Briggs and Tim Bresnan with their experience and calmness is such a plus. If we can win down there, then to be part of Finals Day at Edgbaston would be amazing.
“The championship has worked out really well for us after the first stage so gives us a great opportunity. The top six are all strong teams so it will be tough cricket, but that’s what you want to be playing.
“Lancashire and Yorkshire are always strong at home but if we can nick a result in at least one of those games it would be brilliant. Our two home games will be really worth watching. Somerset have been one of the best sides in the country for the last few years and so have Hampshire with one of the best bowling attacks around.
“But we are top of the table on merit. The coach and captain have instilled real fighting spirit in the squad as we showed in the two wins over Notts and the win against Essex which was a very tight game for a long time.
“We know now that, even if we seem behind the eight-ball on day two, we can win matches. That’s something that Robbo has told us – always keep scrapping to stay in games…then you never know.”
Norwell is aiming to contribute plenty in the closing weeks having recovered from the tendonitis in his Achilles that ruled him out of the 50-over campaign.
“I would have loved to have played 50-over but it was felt wiser to rest it and do some work with our brilliant physios Mozzy and Chris Cole,” he said. “In a way, it worked out really well because I am fully fit now while the younger guys got their chance and did brilliantly. It was fantastic to see the likes of George Garrett and Ethan Brookes showing how good they are.”
Also available for the Bears when the championship resumes will be Dom Sibley, who has been dropped from the England side for now.
“We are gutted for Dom, but international cricket is brutal,” said Norwell. “Hopefully he will come back to us and score bagfuls of runs and force his way back into the team for the Ashes.”
