INDIAN all-rounder Ravi Ashwin will rejoin Worcestershire for the climax of the 2018 Specsavers County Championship campaign to hopefully boost the Pears’ chances of staying in cricket’s top flight.
Ashwin will rejoin the county at the conclusion of India’s current tour of England and will replace Wayne Parnell as the county’s overseas player for the four-day games against Essex at Chelmsford and Yorkshire at New Road.
The 31-year-old made a huge impact on and off the field after being signed for the final four championship matches of last summer to help the Pears gain promotion to Division One.
He picked up 20 wickets including two five-wicket hauls and also made crucial runs with the bat at number six, averaging 42.
In addition Ashwin made a major impact in the dressing room and revealed at the end of his spell he would welcome the chance to return to a dressing room which he described as ‘one I will cherish forever’.
Pears chiefs have been itching to re-sign Ashwin all summer and have received the green light from the Board Of Control of India.
Chief executive Matt Rawnsley said: “We are delighted to have Ashwin coming back for what could be a key part of the season. He is one of the best spinners in world cricket and the influence he had when here last season cannot be underestimated.
“The lads all speak so highly of him, the impact he had on the field and the way he slotted in so well off the pitch and he was willing to offer advice to our young spinners like Ben Twohig.
“Kevin (Sharp) is delighted to have Ashwin coming back and I would also like to thank our vice-chairman Tim Curtis for the part he played in the negotiations before I arrived here.”
Ashwin is currently ranked the number five Test bowler in the world by the ICC and has taken 316 wickets in 58 Tests at an average of 25.34
He has also been a force with the bat with 2,163 Test runs at an average of 30.46 with four centuries and had been an opening batsman before turning to off-spin.
He made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2011 at Delhi and picked up nine wickets and became the fastest Indian player to 100 Test wickets.
Last year represented his first taste of county cricket when he became be the first Indian player to play for Worcestershire since Zaheer Khan in 2006.
Head coach Sharp echoed Rawnsley’s sentiments and said: “Ashwin is world-class and he loved it at Worcestershire. Conversations have been ongoing about him coming back and I’m sure he will be a great fillip for us.
“He had a massive input for us on and off the field last summer in helping us gain promotion and he is a high-class individual.”