Shaun Pollock nearing Bears' decision

Jan 24 2008 By Trevor Catt, Birmingham Mail

WARWICKSHIRE expect to hear in the next week whether Shaun Pollock will accept their offer of a contract for part of the 2008 season.

Pollock, freshly retired from Test cricket, is mulling over his options for the immediate future.

Those options include playing and non-playing ones but the Bears are optimisic the South African will look favourably upon another return to the county with whom he has had two previous spells.

If Pollock comes to Edgbaston next season, he is likely to arrive first in mid-May and then feature again in the second half of the summer.

The latter spell could be most valuable with overseas signing Monde Zondeki in the running for a call-up for South Africa's tour of England from July.

Pollock's input would further flesh out a Warwickshire seam armoury which will not lack for depth next season.

Also chasing first-team spots behind spearhead Zondeki will be Jimmy Anyon, Naqaash Tahir, Neil Carter, Lee Daggett, Tim Groenewald and, heading the queue, winter signing Boyd Rankin.

Skipper Darren Maddy will provide another string to the Bears' seam-bowling bow while Ian Salisbury and Ant Botha head up the spin attack.

Director of cricket Ashley Giles appears to have plenty of bowling talent at his disposal as he plots an immediate escape from Division Two of both leagues.

Giles is intrigued not least by the potential of Rankin and Zondeki working in tandem.

"We think Zondeki could take a lot of wickets for us," he said, "while Rankin has got a lot of talent and is also a lovely fellow who is serious about his cricket and will listen.

"Boyd has had a stress fracture but is well down the line on his strengthening work and will be fit for the start of pre-season proper.

"With him and Zondeki and Ian Salisbury among the wickets hopefully we can acquit ourselves well next season.

"We have a lot of bowlers and we will be looking to people like Anyon, Daggett and Tahir, the older younger bowlers if you like, to make a real contribution.

"We have a lot of seamers but if there is one department in which you want depth it's that one because you are bound to pick up an injury or two along the way."