Mitchell McClenaghan will make his Worcestershire Rapids debut when they attempt to end Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ NatWest T20 Blast defence.
McClenaghan has big shoes to fill as he replaces Saeed Ajmal, who jetted off to the Caribbean Premier League this week having taken 75 wickets in all competitions this season.
While McClenaghan is not a like-for-like replacement, director of cricket Steve Rhodes thinks the New Zealand paceman can prove just as damaging.
The Kiwi has established a reputation for his death bowling and has proved his credentials in this country before with Lancashire.
"I think we've planned well. Mitch has been around now for 10 days so he's really fully acclimatised and raring to go,” Rhodes told the club’s official website.
"We've almost been having to hold him back with him not being able to play cricket and a hungry fast bowler is a really good thing.
"He has got his first game on Friday in a format he has excelled in and done really well. He did well for Lancashire last time he was over in T20.”
The Rapids could move to the brink of sewing up a quarter-final place with victory while defeat for the Steelbacks would end their hopes of defending the title they won so spectacularly at Edgbaston last season.
Kyle Coetzer's side are unbeaten in their previous three matches at Wantage Road and after the Rapids’ visit they host Nottinghamshire Outlaws next Wednesday before finishing the group stage at Durham Jets next Friday night.
They will almost certainly need to win all three games to go through.
The Rapids were the early pacesetters in the North Group, but are without a win in their past four games.
They suffered a five-wicket defeat to Birmingham Bears last time out and Rhodes believes improvements need to be made with the ball – something McClenaghan will immediately be tasked with.
“We didn't play badly. I thought we batted extremely well in the defeats against Lancashire and Warwickshire, two good sides,” he said.
“We didn't quite nail it with the ball. I was quite happy we batted well enough and, if we can put all departments together on Friday night, then we should have a good result against Northants."
Joe Leach has also been included in the 15-man squad after impressing during Worcestershire’s LV= County Championship win over Leicestershire during the week.