Ed Barnard discusses Warwickshire honour

The Shrewsbury-born all-rounder will back-up new skipper Alex Davies in what is just his second summer for the Bears after moving from Worcestershire.

Barnard, who scored 1,179 runs and took 41 wickets across all formats last year, admitted to being a “little surprised” at being offered the role on the club’s recent pre-season tour.

The 28-year-old said: “It wasn’t something that had been on my radar as there are players with bags of experience in the squad and some natural leaders who would have been great choices.

“It’s a huge privilege to be asked to be vice-captain at such a big club, especially after just one season. I built up a good relationship with Davo last year, we work well together, and I’ll be here to offer whatever support or advice I can throughout the season.

“I’m not the most vocal in the dressing room! We have some big characters. But I like to think I’ve got a good cricketing brain, I’m a bit of a badger, I like my cricketing stats, and I’m not shy in coming forward with an opinion when needed.”

Davies has taken over from Will Rhodes, who stood down at the end of last season after four years as captain.

He said: “I’m looking forward to working closely with Ed. Since his move across ‘enemy lines’ he’s epitomised what it means to be a Bear.

“We have a lot of lads who do that but we felt with Ed’s previous experience of captaining, alongside his temperament and respect within the dressing room, made him perfect for the role.”