When you come across as modest an individual as Ethan Bamber, it is almost invariably hard work to get him to praise himself.

His Warwickshire skipper Ed Barnard calls the Bears' fast bowler "the nicest man in county cricket" - no small statement that, in a dressing room that also contains Chris Woakes, not to mention himself and a lot of other fine characters.

Even more importantly, Bamber is actually pretty good at his job as well. The leading Championship wicket-taker in the country, in fact.

His tally of 69 wickets in the Bears' ninth County Championship triumph was the stand-out statistic in a real team effort.

Warwickshire claimed 41 out of a possible 42 bowling bonus points during the season - good cause for bowling coach Graeme Welch to be proud.

In the Bears' five wins in six games since the Championship resumed in August, allied to a back-up crew of captain Barnard and 37-year-olds Woakes and Olly Hannon-Dalby, Bamber took a tremendous 32 wickets at an average of just 12.71, during which time he claimed three of his season's four five-wicket hauls.

Privately, Bamber does actually feel he can get even better, that there are areas of his game he can still work on and improve.

But just how good is the Bears' necessity? Should he be on England's radar?

Having taken more wickets on two of England's Test grounds (103 at Lord's and 67 at Edgbaston) than at the rest of the venues he has played on put together (138) hardly weakens the former Middlesex man's argument.

And while spearheading the county champions' bowling attack does not necessarily translate to England recognition, as Essex's Jamie Porter knows all too well, it certainly did no harm to the selection hopes of Nottinghamshire's Josh Tongue in 2025, nor Gus Atkinson in Surrey's three title-winning seasons from 2022 to 2024.

Bamber has actually taken more Championship scalps this season, 69 in 14 games, than Atkinson did across those three combined seasons (50 in 15 matches) - although by 2024 he was a regular in England's Test attack.

But you still have to come up with the goods, and it was only really Warwickshire who quietly fancied themselves for success when the season started in April.

"When the fixtures first came out, we felt we had a run-in that could be favourable if we were in good form," Bamber told BBC Radio WM.

"If we were able to position ourselves well in the first block of games, then we had established a successful and productive method true to the group we had.

"As it turned out, we were playing well and the group has had its rewards for persisting with that. It's all been really special."

His constant reference to the word "we", not "I", singles out Bamber as the ultimate team man who really does let his performances talk for him - but it does not stop his dressing-room colleagues chiming in with their appreciation.

"Ethan Bamber has been outstanding all year," said Hannon-Dalby, another of the Bears' four-man seam attack. "He is absolutely flying at the moment.

"But then when you can throw the ball to Chris Woakes on occasions, it helps. Those two guys in particular have been outstanding."

First-team coach Ian Westwood, a title winner as a player with the Bears in 2012, added: "'Bambs' deserves all the credit he's going to get.

"He has bowled with so much heart and skill. You just have to see the amount of effort he puts in to perform all day. He leaves no stone unturned."

As for Bears skipper Barnard, the fourth member of the quartet, he told BBC Radio WM: "Ethan has been incredible. We knew the quality he had when he signed but he has gone up four levels, never mind one.

"He works as hard as anybody. Everyone knows the hours he puts in. He has been relentless in his quality. And he's the nicest man in county cricket as well."