Cricket: Povey: I'm cool over Neil deal.

Byline: By Brian Halford

COLIN Povey today expressed confidence that Neil Carter will sign a new contract at Warwickshire.

After Tony Frost this week commited himself to another year on the playing staff, the Bears are a long way down the line to getting all their players signed or resigned up for next season.

Carter is still to commit himself, though, and, soon to join Middlesex on loan for the Stanford Challenge, has a high-profile chance to showcase his explosive allround talents.

The left-armer is also a candidate for Indian Cricket League involvement next year. But chief executive Povey remains optimistic that Carter will stick with the county he has represented since 2001.

"I spoke to Neil last night and he is in a pretty good place at the moment," Povey said. "He is off to the Caribbean soon to play some exciting cricket and make himself some dosh.

"He will be in the spotlight and I know there has been some interest in him from the ICL but I think he will stay with us.

"I have said to him 'why not be a success in authorised instead of unauthorised cricket'?

"I think he can see that Warwickshire's team is going places with Ashley Giles and Allan Donald.

"I am pretty confident that he will sign for us again.

"In terms of getting players signed up, or signed back up, again we are about 80 per cent of the way down the line and hopefully that will be 100 per cent within a few weeks."