PEARS director of cricket Steve Rhodes has admitted the club is ‘looking around’ for new signings but said any additions would have to be better than the current crop of players.
After recruiting Australian all-rounder John Hastings as Worcestershire’s overseas signing for 2017 campaign, Rhodes said the club would move if the right players became available.
“Are there plans for any more signings? We’ve been looking around. There have been people around but for one reason or another it hasn’t worked out and suited us,” he said. “It is not like picking them off shelves. It is not as easy as that but we always have our eyes and ears open ready to move if we can move.”
But Rhodes also has faith in the squad assembled at New Road over the past few seasons.
“We are very lucky to have guys in our set-up who have got terrific talent and also have come through our system,” he added.
“That is really important, to show loyalty to the guys we have developed and invested time in getting where they are at the moment.”
“There are some terrific batters like Joe Clarke and Tom Fell.
“We’ve got guys who are still pushing there way in. Look at Dolly (Brett D’Oliveira) with his Lions stuff, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ross Whiteley, Alexei Kervezee and George Rhodes.
“Ben Cox could bat in the top five or six very easily. He is a superb batter.”
On adding to his bowling attack, Rhodes claimed Hastings was a ‘wonderful’ signing and said any new faces would have to be better than the current Worcestershire line-up.
“Joe Leach had a fantastic season. So therefore they’ve got to be better than the others, the likes of Jack Shantry and Charlie Morris and Barny (Ed Barnard) and if they are not as good as those guys, what is the point,” Rhodes added.
- Worcestershire will discover their 2017 schedule in the Specsavers County Championship Division Two when the fixtures are released at midnight tonight (Thursday).
The Rapids will also discover their fixtures for the group stage of the NatWest T20 Blast which are released at 6pm tomorrow (Thursday).
