Poonia back for Warwickshire

Graham Napier has twisted his ankle and will not play

Navdeep Poonia returns to the Warwickshire squad for their LV County Championship match against Essex as they look for the win that will promote them into Division One.

The Scotland international comes in to replace Ian Westwood from the team which drew with Worcestershire a fortnight ago, while Rikki Clarke is set to make his first championship appearance for Warwickshire.

Ant Botha is also included as an extra spin option and may come in to the final XI for Boyd Rankin.

Neil Carter and Chris Woakes shared the wickets in their last game, picking up six and five respectively, and are therefore almost certain to be named in the team.

Jonathan Trott chipped in with an unbeaten 88 as he continued his excellent season, something he will hope to improve on further against Essex.

John Maunders, who has been registered until the end of the season, and Jaik Mickleburgh are both in line for their home LV County Championship debuts for Essex.

Graham Napier misses out after suffering a badly twisted ankle during Saturday’s NatWest Pro40 title-clinching win at Kent. The all-rounder underwent an MRI scan on Monday and is awaiting the results.

Meanwhile, Tim Phillips is continuing to receive treatment for his right-knee problem and remains on the sidelines, but Ryan ten Doeschate has recovered from the ankle injury he sustained at Northampton last week.

As a member of England’s Test and ODI squads this summer, Alastair Cook is rested for the remainder of the domestic season, but team-mate Ravi Bopara is included.

Essex are 17 points behind Warwickshire, who lie in the second Division Two promotion spot, with two matches remaining, so victory is crucial for both sides as they aim for first division cricket next season.