All the drama at Edgbaston on day three happened before play got under way as Durham duo Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse and Warwickshire spinner Danny Briggs were all called up for England duty.

But the game they left behind looks to be heading for a frustrating draw.

Only 55 overs were possible on a rain-hit day in Birmingham as Durham moved on from 20-1 overnight to 173-5.

On top of the loss of Sunday’s first day, Durham will resume on the final morning 64 runs behind in reply to the Bears’ 237 all out.

A draw may suit Warwickshire better of the two sides. If they duly avoid defeat here, bank the extra eight points for a draw, then get a decent number of points in their final game against Worcestershire, they ought to have done enough to seal a top two finish – and a place in the newly-formatted Division One for the second phase of the revamped Championship season.

Briggs’ departure added to a long list of unavailable Warwickshire bowlers.

As well as Chris Woakes, who has swapped England duty for quarantine, they were already without injured quartet Olly Stone, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Tim Bresnan and Henry Brookes.

But Brookes’ young teenage brother Ethan came in for only his third first-class appearance, to support a Bears bowling attack dominated by Craig Miles, who took 4-42.

For Durham, Jack Burnham had to travel north to Birmingham from Beckenham, where he was on second team duty against Kent, while Graham Clark, who was already on 12th man duties, was Stokes’ replacement.

Neither has yet batted in a Durham innings, in which the main contributors were the country’s top run scorer, David Bedingham, who is on 37, having moved his season’s tally on to 824, Matty Potts and Cameron Bancroft (34).

Bedingham and Ned Eckersley (18 off 28 balls) played some attractive shots in poor light prior to an early tea before further downpours prevented any play in the day’s final session.

Warwickshire bowler Craig Miles:

“We are without some key players one way and another. Then we lost Danny Briggs this morning but it was great to see Ethan Brookes come in. He bowled really nicely, particularly in his first spell.

“Danny fully deserves his England call-up. He has been phenomenal since he joined us. He has taken his chance with both hands and been a real key player.

“It has been a frustrating few days. Going into day four, it’s heading for a draw unless anything drastic happens.”

Durham head coach James Franklin:

“Wednesday is still a huge day for us in the context of our season, to hopefully collect a few more points.

“If we can have a good batting morning, that will provide is with a big opportunity to go into next week with a whole lot to play for.

“That’s what you work for all winter, to ultimately put yourselves in a position where you go into the last game potentially to have a crack at getting to Division One.”