Sheikh: “We have got a really good second batch of bowlers coming through”

Mo Sheikh is loving getting to grips with his mission to help Warwickshire's young bowlers after returning to the club as Second XI Bowling Coach and Assistant Coach.

Former Bears all-rounder Sheikh has been recruited for his abilities to bring the best out of others.

But part of his excitement at his full-time return to Edgbaston is the opportunity it presents to grow as a coach himself around the likes of first team coach Mark Robinson, director of cricket Paul Farbrace and new bowling coach Matt Mason.

“I am really enjoying the role,” he said. “It’s been absolutely brilliant to be back at the Bears and now, like everyone, I just want to get outdoors every day and for the season to kick off.

“We have got a really good second batch of bowlers coming through, like Ethan Brookes, George Garrett and Manraj Johal, and I have already worked with these guys a little bit so am very comfortable with them. They came through the academy when I was working there so we have got a good relationship.

“I love working with them and trying to get them into a position to challenge for regular first-team cricket, but this job is also a wonderful opportunity for me. It will really help me develop as a coach at an elite level as there is such a wealth of experience among the coaches at Edgbaston. I’m really excited to be part of the set up.

Mo Sheikh

“Matt Mason will be coming in soon and, though I played against him a little bit, I haven’t worked with him before so I’m really looking forward to getting to know him and learning from him.”

Sheikh knows Edgbaston inside out having been in the Bears youth system at Under 11s, played 96 first-team games for the club and then been part of the Performance Pathway coaching team from 2015 to 2018.

Of his 96 appearances for Warwickshire, 76 came in white-ball cricket and his expertise in the shorter-formats is likely to be deployed around the first team this year.

“As and when needed, I will be around the Vitality Blast squad and am really looking forward to that,” he said. “The Bears have a great history of white-ball success so to bring another trophy to Edgbaston is a big priority.

“The players did brilliantly to win the championship last year and hopefully we can bring the red-ball trophy back to Edgbaston again this year. To win a one-day trophy on top of that would be an absolute dream come true.”