Leg-spinner Ian Salisbury told Cricket AM that he made the right move by joining Warwickshire.
No hard feelings towards Surrey, Solly tells Simon and Anita
Warwickshire and former England leg-spinner Ian Salisbury joined Simon and Anita on the
Cricket AM sofa to talk life at Edgbaston - and why he wishes Shane Warne had retired earlier...
'Solly' was in jovial mood but admitted he and his Bears teammates were left with sore heads after being denied a place at Twenty20 finals day by defending champions, Kent Spitfires, who cruised to a 42-run win at Edgbaston.
"We went off the game plan," Ian admitted.
"They scored 100 off the last six overs - of which I bowled a few! - and you can't afford to do that against a very good team like Kent.
"The loss went down pretty badly but I'd prefer to lose to the winners though, so good luck to Kent - I think they can go all the way.
"And Twenty20 is a very enjoyable competition. The chance to play in front of big crowds is always a pleasure - especially when you get to my more mature age!"
Fond memories
Northampton-born Ian signed a two-year deal with Warwickshire in November 2007 after almost 11 fruitful years with Surrey that saw him bag three County Championships titles, plus Twenty20 Cup and Benson & Hedges Cup winners' medals.
Despite leaving the Oval side by mutual consent, the man who made 15 Test appearances for England revealed that he still holds his floundering former club in high esteem.
And as well as explaining the move was right for his career, he is confident that under director of cricket Ashley Giles and bowling coach Allan Donald, Warwickshire have a bright future.
"It was a mutual-consent sacking," joked Ian. "Chris Schofield came along and did fantastically well and I was encouraged to leave - it was time to.
"But I had an absolutely amazing time at Surrey. I left on very good terms. I had 11 amazing years; we won a lot of trophies, I've got many fond memories and I hope they get out of their predicament.
"I was happy to retire but [Ashley] Giles rung me up and said that if I lost a bit of weight, I could carry on a bit longer!
"Giles and Donald are very passionate about Warwickshire, they're big names in cricket and I think over the next two or three years, they're going to produce good things."
Ian might be confident going into the second half of the County Championship season but, tongue firmly in cheek, he admitted that one Shane Warne remained a thorn in his - and every leg-spinner's - side.
"He just made it look easy - the rest of us make it look difficult," laughed Ian.
"To land it on the spot every single ball, to take loads of wickets - no one's done that in the history of cricket. He made himself a legend and made me look a fool!
"I wish he had finished his career before I started mine - maybe I would have been given a bit more slack!"
