Local rivals clash at Worcester
When Worcestershire meet local rivals Warwickshire at New Road, far more than local bragging rights will be at stake. The home side are celebrating their first win of the season, having beaten Essex, but still sit at the foot of the Division One table with relegation staring them in the face. Meanwhile, Warwickshire have made a better than expected start to the season with two wins (double last year’s total) so far. However, they suffered a three day defeat to Hampshire in their last game, so will want to bounce back and show that their early season form was no fluke.
It’s not too difficult to see where Worcestershire’s problems lie. No batter is averaging as much as 30 after six games. Matthew Waite, Jake Libby and Ethan Brookes all come close, and there are four others in the twenties; but that’s not good enough. The bowling is a different matter, with the three fast-medium ever-presents of Matthew Waite, Ben Allison and Tom Taylor taking 64 wickets between them. Waite’s match figures of 9-53 in the win over Essex were outstanding, with his second innings career best 6-19 dispatching Essex for just 110.
Warwickshire too have their batting frailties, though five batters average over 40. Star man Sam Hain has had an edgy start, with no fifties in his nine innings. The bowling has also been a mixed picture, although Ethan Bamber, recruited from Middlesex, has been a resounding success, with 22 wickets so far. He was well supported by Michael Booth until the Zimbabwean-born seamer went down with a serious ankle injury. The Bears need Olly Hannon-Dalby to hit his usual form, but so far his seven wickets have cost over 40 runs apiece.
Maybe Warwickshire’s biggest dilemma relates to who should wear the wicket-keeping gloves following the unexpected retirement of Michael Burgess. Kai Smith took over for the first four games and then played one match as a batter before being dropped. Captain Alex Davies then took over, but there were signs in the Hampshire match that the triple burden of captaincy, opening the batting and keeping wicket might be just too much.
This looks like an intriguing contest with the potential to determine the overall trajectory of both teams this season.
Key Players
After his performance against Essex, it is difficult to look beyond Matthew Waite to pick out the key player for Worcestershire. Add to that the fact that he also currently tops the Pears’ batting averages and it can be seen how crucial a role he is playing. He initially joined Worcestershire on loan from Yorkshire before signing on permanently, and is now on a deal until the end of the 2027 season, with an option for an additional year.
A devoted DEC reader has complained about the regular appearance on our pages of a particular photo of Warwickshire all-rounder Ed Barnard. The problem is that the ex-Worcestershire player keeps on scoring runs and taking wickets so is regularly our featured player. So far, he averages almost 70 with the bat and has 17 wickets at under 30. Maybe we need to find a different photo!
Team News
Worcestershire do not seem to have any new injury worries, so on the back of their Essex victory an unchanged team is more than likely.
Worcestershire squad (probable): Brett D’Oliveira (c), Jake Libby, Matthew Waite, Fateh Singh, Garth Roderick (wk), Tom Taylor, Yadvinder Singh, Ben Gibbon, Kashif Ali, Jacob Duffy, Ben Allison, Ethan Brookes, Henry Nicholls, Rob Jones
Most Warwickshire team news tends to focus on injuries. The Bears still await the first appearances of the season for Chris Woakes and Chris Rushworth. Both are rumoured to be just about fit to play, and may be in the squad, though the aforesaid Michael Booth will obviously not. Australian all-rounder Beau Webster has been called into the national squad, but should play at New Road before joining up with his compatriots.
Warwickshire squad (probable): Alex Davies (c, wk), Rob Yates, Sam Hain, Dan Mousley, Ed Barnard, Ethan Bamber, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Beau Webster, Tom Latham, Zen Malik, Taz Ali, Che Simmons, Chris Woakes, Chris Rushworth
Weather and Conditions
Whilst a fine first day is forecast, the weather is likely to become more unsettled thereafter. So although a good pitch can be guaranteed, it might just be that the weather will prevent a result.
Date: 23rd May 2025
Time: 11.00 am
Ground: New Road, Worcester
