Warwickshire 2026 One Day Cup Preview
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Written by Aaron Viles (The Bear)
2025 Review:
League Position: 4th in Group B
Top Runscorer: Ed Barnard - 358 runs
Top Bowler: Tazeem Ali - 18 wickets
Top Points Scorer: Ed Barnard - 1035 points
Following a pair of semi-final appearances in 2023 and 2024, the Bears sadly regressed slightly in the List A format last season, ultimately finishing in 4th place in a tightly-contested Group B with 5 wins and 3 losses to their name.
Whilst the culmination of the group stages didn’t quite go as planned – with an untimely batting collapse against Sussex at Edgbaston costing them a place in the top 3 - there were still plenty of positives for Warwickshire to take away from their MBODC campaign as a whole, with the performances of Ed Barnard (358 runs) and Taz Ali (18 wickets) in particular providing the fans with a slew of memorable moments to look back fondly on over the course of the tournament.
There were also some welcome strides made by the promising middle order duo of Hamza Shaikh (227 runs) and Vansh Jani (156 runs) along with the mightily impressive Michael Booth, whose tally of 101 runs and 7 wickets in 6 appearances further reinforced his credentials as one of the county’s most dynamic and exciting all-rounders heading into the future.
Warwickshire 2026 One Day Cup Preview - Fantasy Cricket Banker, Wildcard & Young Gun
On paper at least, 2026 has the potential to be a very special year for the Bears in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Unfortunately, the ever-reliable Ed Barnard won’t be available to captain the side this season as a result of his involvement with Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred, but the West Midlands county can still call upon the services of an all-star ensemble of experienced county professionals such as Alex Davies, Rob Yates, Ethan Bamber, Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Keith Barker along with a certain Sam Hain, who appears set to make his first List A appearance for Warwickshire since the 2023 MBODC Semi-Final against Hampshire.
Factor in the searingly hot form of Zen Malik in the recent Vitality T20 Blast, as well as Hamza Shaikh, Vansh Jani and Kai Smith’s stellar contributions in the 2nd XI competitions, and the Bears should certainly fancy themselves as a strong contender for the crown come the grand final at Trent Bridge on Sunday 20th September.
Banker: Sam Hain
Providing he doesn’t get picked up as an injury replacement prior to the start of The Hundred, Sam Hain should be the very first name on your team-sheet, regardless of what county affiliations you may have.
Possessing an eye-catching batting style tailor-made to the 50-over format, eclectically combining classy shot selection with the ability to unleash a maelstrom of boundaries towards the business end of an innings, the 30-year-old middle order maestro will no doubt be one of the pre-tournament favourites to top the run scoring charts, and for good reason too.
As if his overall List A career batting average of 57.76 wasn’t already impressive enough, that number rises to an extraordinary 73.60 in the One Day Cup, the highest average of any of the 131 cricketers to have scored 1000+ runs in the competition’s history since its inception back in the Summer of 2014.
Considering that he’s also been in good form with the bat in both the County Championship and the Vitality T20 Blast prior to the start of the competition, it seems as though it’ll only be a matter of time before we see Hain retaking his place on the throne of English cricket’s premier 50-over run scorers once more.
Wildcard: Zen Malik
As mentioned earlier in the pre-tournament summary, the ever-entertaining Malik enters this season’s Metro Bank One Day Cup in impeccable form, with his imperious 99 from just 46 deliveries against Worcestershire on derby day showcasing how devasting of a ball striker he can be when he’s properly settled into his rhythm at the crease.
When it comes to his performances in the List A format however, it feels as though we’re yet to see the very best of the 28-year-old at this stage, with returns of 201 runs at 20.10 in 10 career appearances in 2024 and 2025 not reflecting the calibre and quality that he possesses with the bat in hand.
Providing that he gets off to a strong start in the opening couple of matches though, Malik could be a real gamechanger - not only for your fantasy team - but of course for the Bears as well.
Young Gun: Taz Ali
At a time where young leg spinners are highly sought after in the white-ball formats, Warwickshire have got an absolute gem on their hands in Tazeem Ali.
The 20-year-old phenom ripped Northamptonshire and Kent to shreds with his lethal top spinners and googlies at Rugby School last season - becoming the first English spinner to claim back-to-back List A 5-wicket hauls in the same week in the process – and finished the campaign as the joint-2nd leading wicket taker alongside Leicestershire’s Alex Green with 18 wickets next to his name.
With a welcome return to Rugby on the cards for a trio of home matches towards the business end of the group stages, don’t be surprised to see the talented Ali fill his boots with a load of wickets once more come early-mid August.
Potential Starting XI:
Rob Yates
Zen Malik
Alex Davies
Sam Hain
Hamza Shaikh
Kai Smith
Keith Barker
Michael Booth
Ethan Bamber
Taz Ali
Oliver Hannon-Dalby
Comments