Warwickshire have selection headache ahead of Hants clash (From Daily Echo)

Warwickshire have selection headache ahead of Hants clash

2:37pm Friday 14th September 2012 in Hampshire Cricket

Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton expects a selection headache ahead of tomorrow's CB40 final against Hampshire at Lord's.

The Bears, who won the County Championship Division One title this season, have a strong batting line up which means that unfortunately some players are set to miss out.

England batsman Jonathan Trott is out of contention due to a hand injury and Will Porterfield is in Ireland's Twenty20 World Cup squad, but Ian Bell, Chris Woakes and Jeetan Patel are available.

It means Keith Barker, Steffan Piolet and Ian Blackwell face an agonising wait to see if they have been picked for the showpiece final against newly crowned t20 champions Hampshire.

Troughton admitted choosing his side will be difficult.

"Will [Porterfield] is in the t20 World Cup so that's one less selection headache, although we are losing a player who has played fantastically well in one-day cricket," Troughton told the Coventry Telegraph.

"But it will be tough, in a good way, to pick the team. Somebody will have to miss out as Stef Piolet was unlucky to in the semi-final.

"There will be some difficult decisions but everyone in that dressing room is fully geared to us getting over that line - and we all know it's a squad effort."

Warwickshire's Neil Carter is one man who is sure of his place, with the game set to be the 37-year-old's swansong before his retirement.

Troughton recalled Carter for the last CB40 group game and believes the veteran has earned his place after four-wicket hauls against Yorkshire and in the semi-final against Lancashire.

Troughton said: "Neil has done fantastically well.

"We know he is a man for the big occasion and a trip to Lord's is something that he will treasure and he earned it with some big wickets to blow away the top orders of the two teams he has played against.

"It's been a frustrating year for him because he has not played much first-team cricket but he gave us exactly what we needed in those two games.

"In one-day cricket I always say a fielding side feeds off the bowlers. It's how your bowlers go about their business that dictates how much you can squeeze the opposition and Neil led the attack superbly in two must-win games."