Ali lands blow for visitors

Kabir Ali is congratulated by Worcrs skipper Vikram Solanki

Kabir Ali celebrated his return to the England fold with three wickets as Worcestershire held the upper hand on a rain-shortened day with local rivals Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Kabir has been named in the England A squad along with county team-mates Gareth Batty and Vikram Solanki for the one-day game with the West Indies at New Road next Thursday.

It is his first recognition for his country since playing in the limited-overs series with Sri Lanka last summer.

And the 27-year-old responded with figures of 3-32 in nine overs as Warwickshire were reduced to 86 for four from 20 overs on the opening day of the LV County Championship Division One game.

It took his first-class wicket haul for the campaign to 37.

Kabir said: “I am looking at the call-up in a positive frame of mind. It is another opportunity for me to prove and perform and hopefully knock on the door again.

“Because I haven’t been picked this year, I haven’t given up hope. I have bowled well in championship cricket and I have also done pretty well in the one-day stuff.

“I am still very upbeat and have still got my fingers crossed and, if the opportunity is given to me, I will give it my best shot.”

Warwickshire elected to bat after play started 75 minutes late following overnight rain and quickly ran into problems against the new-ball attack of Kabir and Doug Bollinger.

Doug Bollinger © Getty Images

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Bollinger, who has struggled to make an impact in his first season at New Road, made the initial breakthrough when Bears skipper Darren Maddy (five) shouldered arms and was bowled by a delivery which swung back sharply.

Maddy’s opening partner Ian Westwood (18) perished in the next over from Kabir when he pushed at a widish ball and was comfortably caught by Graeme Hick at second slip to leave the home side on 36 for two.

The third-wicket pair of Jonathan Trott and Kumar Sangakkara looked relatively comfortable and collected a flurry of boundaries as Warwickshire reached 65 for two at lunch.

But Kabir put Worcestershire in the driving seat with wickets in successive overs shortly after the resumption.

Sangakkara (20) had to play at a ball which was angled across him and nicked a straightforward catch to Phil Jacques at first slip.

Kabir thought he had struck again two balls later when Jim Troughton edged a similar delivery but wicket-keeper Steven Davies dived in front of Jacques and spilled the chance away to his left.

It was Trott’s turn to have an escape in the next over from Bollinger when he was put down by Gareth Batty - fit again after a back injury - in the gulley.

But the lapse did not prove costly and Trott had failed to add to his 27 when he slashed at Kabir and Ben Smith held onto a superb catch at third slip.

That left Warwickshire on 86 for four and there was no addition to the score before rain and bad light forced the players off half an hour after lunch for the final time.