1st game of the season starting Thursday.

Any ideas on the XI?

Do we have any injuries?

Weather?

Surrey might be strong, Pope, Foakes, Burns, all have a point to prove. Roach is a terrific signing.

Liam Norwell has a (hopefully) minor back problem so not available.
Alex Davies is suspended.
Nathan McAndrew is not available until the second game.

It’s going to be interesting how Robinson goes about this considering he knows he gets Davies and McAndrew for the second match. That match will give us a better idea of how he wants to go about things this season.
His preferred set up last year was 6 batsmen, Bresnan as an all rounder at 7, then 4 bowlers. But does that suit the different personnel now?

There won’t be as much patience for lack of form this year either I don’t think. Especially with most likely Lamb and Mousley waiting in the wings.

I can see more rotation of the bowlers this year too. Especially with the injury records Stone, Norwell, and Brookes have. Even OHD and Miles have had issues.

Here's my preview of the match, written before the squads were announced:
https://deepextracover.com/2022/04/lv-insurance-county-championship-preview-warwickshire-v-surrey/
And here is the squad:
Will Rhodes (C)
Jacob Bethell
Danny Briggs
Henry Brookes
Michael Burgess (WK)
Sam Hain
Olly Hannon-Dalby
Manraj Johal
Matt Lamb
Craig Miles
Dan Mousley
Dom Sibley
Rob Yates

Sibley
Yates
Rhodes
Hain
Lamb
Mousley
Burgess
Briggs
Miles
Brookes
OHD

?

Bowlers not making much impression here but it does seem to be a pretty flat pitch.

Really not a great start with the ball.

Not overly surprised we're struggling with the ball. When the XI was announced my immediate thought was only one seamer from the team that played in the post split Div 1 last season. Norwell really is key to the attack.

Sorry to interrupt the thread but does anyone know if Warwicks have any reciprocal agreements with other counties for the CC games this season like we did when we were in Div 2 and also in 2019? I know Notts members have it and can watch today's game for free also Hants have one with Gloucestershire and Essex. I was thinking of going to a game next Thursday if the weather is nice either Derby or Notts as it's a week off for Warwicks.

In 2019 it was five counties:

https://edgbaston.com/news/warwickshire-extend-membership-arrangements-to-five-counties/

Not sure if that has changed after the pandemic, though. You could try emailing tickets@edgbaston.com, they should be able to tell you.

Presume Norwell was left out as a precaution with a back twinge? If so, sensible given the cold conditions. Why is Davies suspended?

Yes, Norwell has a back twinge but hopes to be fit for next week.
Davies was banned because of a series of tweets about ten years ago when he was a teenager. They were described as "racist, sexist, disablist, homophobic and other offensive remarks", so there's not too many categories of offensiveness that he missed.

Strange old day, we bowled poor up front, no doubt. Incredibly difficult bowling/fielding conditions though with distressingly fierce winds. So cold. Brookes bowled well without luck. Pitch looks flat.

Very cold although I have been colder - Mainly in my youthful stupidity in wearing just a thin jacket over a t-shirt. A fair
bit of short stuff was put away with relish and a major surprise to see Burns get out right before lunch. Went into the club shop at lunch to mainly keep warm and was surprised by the lack of anything other than loads of shirts and the usual array of caps. I suggested to the club about getting some old scorecards printed up and sold. To produce them would be peanuts (Ex-printer typing) and they could be from past games like last seasons title clincher v Somerset back to the 1972 title clincher v Derbyshire where 'Big Bob' took 8-44. Other similar cards v Hamp 1994, 1997 Refuge v Glouc and assorted Test matches, etc. About 5p to produce, if that and selling them for £1. No harm in trying but loads of shirts which no one seemed to want isn't going to draw people in other than to get through the shop to watch the cricket. Back to the game, the pitch looks a bit dead, a typical cold pitch for a cold day and I just hope we make it look like a good strip to bat on also. Good to see Ollie bowl well and he looks happy to be back. It's the first game, not going to make any predictions either way

Why isn't Chris Woakes playing? Surrey have England players Burns, Pope, Foakes and Topley all playing, and also Kemar Roach straight in as their overseas player.

I thought the same thing re Woakes, but having him at the back end of last season was very much the exception rather than the norm. And based on prior years there is often no official wording on why he isn't available for us.

It's why i'm really hoping this is Brookes's breakthrough year (second time round), and not another one blighted by injury. And hoping the above message about him being slightly unlucky with his bowling is true, as I didn't watch much of the game but when I did watch he got smacked for four 4's in an over!

Agree about Brookes though I have down graded my expectations. He does not appear to have improved any aspect of his game since be broke though. He seems to snarl a lot, chunter at the batter then get smacked around the ground, rinse and repeat.

I agree with FB, Henry B has really flattered to deceive since his first breakthrough. He just seems to be going downhill each season. I know he's had significant injury problems - but so have all our seamers - and they (mostly!) come bouncing back, as good, if not better. He really has to up his game, if he is to ever challenge for a regular first team place. Perhaps Matt Mason might have a 'recipe for renewal'!

A poor day and the bowling looks uninspiring and flat apart from Ollie and Danny. An awful start to our innings and with the weather looking better than it was first broadcast to be, it could be a horrible couple of days if we don't get stuck in with the bat.

Thought they all bowled quite well in the morning session. Rhodes and Miles unable to offer any control however and Brookes deteriorated in the middle session. He will improve as he gets more games into his legs. Whether that is enough only time will tell. Credit to Surrey and Foakes in particular today made the most of helpful conditions yesterday morning when it was nigh on impossible to bowl and field to a high standard and cashed in today by being careful first hour and not chasing runs just putting the loose ones away. On the whole the players stuck at it I thought against a better all round batting line up than any they'd faced in 2020 or 2021