Blackwell is Warwickshire loan target

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Warwickshire are looking to bring in former England slow left-armer Ian Blackwell as a short term loan signing to cover for Jeetan Patel.

Off-spinner Patel will depart for India next week having been recalled by New Zealand after a nine-month absence for their two Test series on the sub-continent.

His absence will leave Warwickshire without a senior spinner for their home LV= County Championship matches against Middlesex and Nottinghamshire, forcing them to go into the loan market.

Warwickshire director of cricket Ashley Giles had enquired about Lancashire slow left-armers Gary Keedy and Stephen Parry but neither are available for loan.

Keedy came close to joining Warwickshire last September but opted to stay at Old Trafford after the Red Rose county won the Championship title. Keedy has made only three Championship appearances this season as fellow left-armer Simon Kerrigan has become their frontline spinner.

But Keedy will be required for next week’s Championship match against Worcestershire at New Road as Kerrigan will be on England Lions duty, and Parry will also be required for the run of Clydesdale Bank 40 matches that Lancashire have coming up.

Instead, therefore, Giles has turned his attention to Blackwell who has fallen out of favour at Durham in recent months. The former Derbyshire and Somerset spinner took a career-best seven for 52 against Australia A last week but he has been back in the second team this week.

“I like Ian, we get on well and he’s an extremely talented cricketer,” Giles said. “He’s the sort of player that could add to us in the run-in. I have talked to Durham but we have not finalised anything yet. At the moment he would be the preferred choice, and he’s not playing at Durham. It’s  a possibility, let’s just say that.”


Date: 10/08/2012 17:42:07 by Paul Bolton
In: Warwickshire | Today | Durham |