Worcestershire Cricket Club Bidding for County Promotion in 2023

Worcestershire go into the 2023 County Championship Division Two campaign as one of the teams who will be expected to be in contention for promotion into Division One at the end of the season.

Alan Richardson’s side had to settle for fourth place in 2022. They won four, drew seven and lost three of their 14 matches, leaving them with 194 points. Worcestershire were 31 points behind Middlesex who landed the second promotion spot behind Nottinghamshire.

The New Road-based county have not played in Division One of the Championship since 2018. They finished bottom of the standings that year which resulted in relegation into Division Two.

Ed Barnard top-scored for Worcestershire in 2022 with 895 runs in Division Two. He played 14 matches for the county, with his highest score being his unbeaten 163 against eventual champions Nottinghamshire.

1⃣4⃣ overs
4⃣ maidens
3⃣2⃣ runs
5⃣ wickets

🖐️ A maiden First-Class five-fer for Dillon Pennington today!#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/ibSFBB2bP8

— PCA (@PCA) May 30, 2021

Richardson will be confident his bowling attack can take the wickets they need this year. In 2022, the county had two of the top 10 leading wicket-takers in the league. Dillon Pennington took 44 wickets, while his teammate Joe Leach was not far behind with 34 wickets.

Captain Brett D’Oliveira was also one of Worcestershire’s star players last season. He took over the role as captain of the county and he led by example, scoring centuries in both of his opening two matches as the skipper of the team.

Azhar Ali Among Overseas Players in 2023

Former Pakistan Test batsman Azhar Ali is set to return to Worcestershire this year. He scored 656 runs last season in 11 matches in Division Two of the County Championship. His performances across the year earned him a call-up for his national team in their home series against England.

Ali, who plays domestic cricket in Lahore, played a total of 97 matches for Pakistan before retiring from Test cricket. His decision to walk away from the international game means he will be available for Worcestershire for the full campaign.

In T20 cricket, Worcestershire have also signed New Zealand duo Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell to help the Rapids in the T20 Blast. Those two players have a lot of international experience and are both considered great acquisitions for the county.

With the Cricket World Cup beginning in October, it is a big year for Santner and Bracewell. New Zealand are 7/1 with 888Sport, one of the best UK betting sites for 2023. Those looking to back to the Kiwis can take advantage of their “Bet £10 to Get £30” offer for opening a new account. They also offer an array of cricket markets for other competitions, including some of the franchise leagues that the Kiwi duo take part in. Their app and website stream some of these matches so punters can follow the action after placing their bet.

Worcestershire have been successful just once in the T20 Blast so far. They lifted the trophy in 2018. Richardson will be hoping Santner and Bracewell can help them go all the way this year.

Rivals for Promotion

Gloucestershire and Yorkshire were relegated from Division One last season and those two counties will be hoping for an immediate return to the top division. They both have strong squads for Division Two.

Yorkshire are one of the most represented counties in international cricket. Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid all play for England in at least one format of the game. When available, those players are going to be a big boost for their county.

2022 was a miserable season for Gloucestershire, as they finished bottom of Division One, winning just two of their 14 matches. Things should get easier for them now they have been relegated.

Sensational day one for our boys in Perth.

Marnus Labuschagne is currently 154 not out and we'll look to build this lead even further tomorrow #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/yhN5zRDMVC

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) November 30, 2022

Glamorgan are another team who will be expected to be in contention for promotion at the end of the season. The Welsh county had to settle for third place in 2022 in Division Two. They have signed Australian star Marnus Labuschagne this season as he bids to familiarise himself with the conditions in the UK before the Ashes series.

Worcestershire begin their 2023 County Championship Division Two campaign against Derbyshire on Thursday, 6th April. They visit the Incora County Ground in Derby for their opening four-day fixture of the year.