It says much about Warwickshire’s season that the loudest cheer of the day came when they avoided the follow-on.

George Dobell at Edgbaston05-Jun-2010
ScorecardIt says much about Warwickshire’s season that the loudest cheer of the day came when they avoided the follow-on. How their supporters’ ambitions have fallen. Once they targeted victories and championships; now they seem pleased if their side makes the opposition bat twice.Perhaps such an attitude is not surprising. This was the fourth championship game in succession in which Warwickshire have failed to pass 150 in their first innings (after scores of 113 against Lancashire, 127 against Somerset and 100 against Durham) and none of their top seven in this match have yet recorded a century this season. After eight championship matches, Warwickshire have claimed just nine batting bonus points. It’s the least of any side in either division.There are, on this occasion, some mitigating factors. This is a desperately difficult pitch for batsmen and losing the toss – as they have done in all home fixtures this season – is a notable disadvantage. Indeed, bearing in mind their struggles against spin bowling, Warwickshire may reflect on the wisdom of preparing pitches that offer so much assistance to them.Somerset’s bowlers also harnessed the conditions well. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, gaining sharp turn and bowling with pleasing flight and variation, was particularly impressive in claiming the 28th five-wicket haul of his career. He must wish he could play Warwickshire every week. Barely 10 days ago, he took 6 for 61 against them at Taunton.But the loss of 17 wickets in a single day tells its own story. This is a not a good pitch. The bounce is irregular – with some balls rearing and a few beginning to scuttle – rendering it an unequal battle between bat and ball. It was something of a surprise when the umpires declared themselves content with the pitch and ruled out a call to the pitch inspector.In the context of the game, Ben Phillips’ belligerent innings of 44 was the performance of the day. Coming to the crease with his side wobbling on 72 for 6, Phillips batted sensibly. He used his long reach to nullify the spin, his strength to put away the poor ball and, unlike many of the top order batsmen on either side who lunged forward hopefully, played back to the spinners with some success. While Phillips crunched six fours and one pulled six off Rikki Clarke, no-one else managed more than 27 on the second day.Until Phillips’ late contribution, the bowlers had been on top. Though Warwickshire showed welcome fight, it was always an uphill struggle to defy the bowlers in such circumstances. Troughton overcame painful blows to the hands to both his first two deliveries, while Chopra survived an edge between slip and gully, but neither hinted at permanence.Chopra and Clarke were both drawn into playing at probing deliveries on or around off stump, before Troughton was caught off bat and pad at leg slip and Botha missed a slog-sweep. Johnson and Woakes were both beaten by sharp turn and edged their defensive prods to slip.Not that all the batsmen were blameless. Darren Maddy pulled directly to the man positioned for the shot on the square-leg boundary while Imran Tahir edged a wild slash. Apart from them, all eight wickets owed more to good bowling and tricky conditions than poor batting.Somerset had things little better in reply. Trescothick played down the wrong line to one that swung back at him, before Buttler was set-up by an outswinger and beaten by one that came in. Suppiah was bowled off the inside edge, prodding forward to one that bounced on him, before Hildreth fell to a googly, Kieswetter to a topspinner and Trego was powerless to keep one out that kept low.The flurry of wickets briefly raised Warwickshire’s spirits, but their joy may well prove short-lived. While a fourth-innings target of around 300 may not look intimidating in normal circumstances, on this pitch it seems mountainous.