Warwickshire employed an unusual field on the final day of their County Championship clash against Essex today (August 2), placing all of their fielders on the leg side in an attempt to make quick breakthroughs as the game headed to an inevitable draw.
The match at Chelmsford entered its final day with the draw by far the most likely outcome. Warwickshire started play with one wicket left in their first innings, and Oliver Hannon-Dalby duly departed with the final wicket pair having added 20 runs to the score. That meant Warwickshire were bowled out for 485, 117 runs short of Essex's mammoth first innings total of 602-6 declared. All three of Tom Westley, Charlie Allison and Michael Pepper scored centuries in the home side's first dig, and the rain around throughout the match increased the likelihood of a draw.
Having struck in the first over of Essex's second innings, Ethan Bamber getting opener Noah Thain caught behind, Warwickshire smelt wickets. As Westley neared 50 for the second time in the match in partnership with Paul Walter, the visitors decided to try an unusual tactic.
Match 92, Essex vs Warwickshire
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They first placed six of their fielders ring-style on the leg side, to go with the leg slip and fielder on the leg side boundary already in place. After Hannon-Dalby bowled one ball with that field, captain Alex Davies decided to go all-in, taking the one remaining fielder on the off side and moving him under the helmet close into the bat. That meant that Warwickshire's field consisted of: a deep square-leg, leg slip, leg gully, short leg, four short mid-wickets and a short mid-on.
"This is a different form of leg theory," quipped one of the commentators. The field didn't last long however, as the players were taken off the field for rain an over later, and the match was unable to restart.
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