Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes believes his young squad have what it takes to survive in LV= County Championship Division One this season.
Kevin Howells (BBC radio)
They are not a one-man show but how soon they get Saeed Ajmal and how he goes following his difficult winter will be the difference between top half or bottom in the championship.
David Fulton (Sky Sports News)
Ajmal will be fascinating. Can he be as effective with a remodelled action? Alex Gidman’s a good signing, but as the recent experiences of Northants and Derbyshire after promotion show, it’s going to be tough.
Worcestershire have prepared for their return to Division One of the LV= County Championship well aware that they will be widely tipped to go straight back down.
But as Steve Rhodes, their long-serving director of cricket, points out, they do have recent history of confounding negative expectations.
“I heard quite a few people tipping us to finish bottom of Division Two last season, and we ended up coming second and getting promoted,” said the Yorkshireman.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll be predicted to come bottom again this year, especially as it’s Division One. But who knows? You’ve got to hang your basket on something, and ours is that we earned promotion with some very talented young players who are very much on the rise. If collectively they can continue to improve as players, we’ll have a decent chance.”
Those players have been thrown in at the deep end with an opening game against champions Yorkshire – although Rhodes concedes it might not be a bad time to face his home county who will be missing the six players selected for England’s tour of the West Indies, plus their captain Andrew Gale as he completes his suspension.
“We’ve got to see it as an opportunity for us,” he added. “They are going to be missing a few, although they do have a lot of depth and they’ve already had a good result against the MCC in Abu Dhabi.
"Our lads have not got to get too carried away about the end result and concentrate on competing with them in each session. We’d be keen to take them on, whatever side they were playing.”
Of the young players who advanced in last year’s promotion drive, it will be especially interesting to see how 22-year-old seamer Charlie Morris fares in Division One – along with Joe Leach and Jack Shantry, slightly older but equally unheralded members of a highly effective seam attack.
The bowling options will be boosted by the return from injury of Gareth Andrew and the signing of Alex Gidman from Gloucestershire – with Rhodes looking to both to ease the load on Daryl Mitchell, who had such an outstanding 2014 as captain.
“The thing we had to bear in mind is that Moeen Ali now has a central contract so we can’t expect to see that much of him,” Rhodes explained.
“That was the main reason we were really keen to sign Alex Gidman. We desperately needed someone to help Mitch in the batting but also out in the field. Hopefully he can become a right-hand man, and Gareth also has a lot of experience to add to that mix.
“I also think Alex has a lot to prove, which is good for us. He’s got a little bit left in him, and he’s relishing the challenge of playing in Division One.”
Last but not least, there is the question of Saeed Ajmal.Worcestershire are confident that he can remain an effective and occasionally devastating member of their bowling attack even with a remodelled action, but they are still waiting to hear from Pakistan whether and exactly when the mystery spinner will be required for a series against Bangladesh.
“Our seamers like Charlie, Jack and Joe were great for us last year, but you can’t ever take away the wickets and the impact that Saeed had for us,” said Rhodes.
“He gives the whole team a lot of confidence, with the aggressive way he bowls. You can’t downtalk the size of what he achieved for us. That’s why we were so keen to stand by him and get him back, knowing how much he enjoys it with us and wanted to come back.
"So obviously we’ve been trying to stay informed about what’s happening with Pakistan, because if we lost him we’d need to replace him, especially with that first Yorkshire game to think about.”
The county have already secured another overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast, when Colin Munro will return for a second stint with the Rapids – fresh from hitting a first-class record of 23 sixes in a double-century for Auckland against Central Districts in New Zealand.
But after being relegated in four of their five seasons in Division One since 2004, it is championship survival that would represent the greatest and most fitting achievement for the county as they celebrate their 150th year.
Worcestershire
Captain: Daryl Mitchell
Director of cricket: Steve Rhodes
In: Alex Gidman (Gloucestershire), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)
Out: Nick Harrison (released), Graeme Cessford (released), Matt Pardoe (released)
Players & members unite at the conclusion of a very successful pre season tour @WorcsCCC#abudhabipic.twitter.com/hMxW4V7n0R
— Inspire and Excel (@inspireandexcel) March 13, 2015