Worcestershire have received a massive derby boost with England all-rounder Moeen Ali having been made available to play in the LV= County Championship clash against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
England have agreed to allow the 27-year-old to face the Bears in the four-day clash which gets underway on Saturday (May 9).
Moeen has just returned from England's tour of the West Indies in which he played in the final two Tests in Grenada and Bridgetown.
He played in Worcestershire's opening Championship match against Yorkshire at New Road after suffering a side strain during the World Cup which caused him to miss the opening Test in Antigua.
Worcestershire Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes said: "We are delighted. Moeen played that one game for us at the start of the year coming back from injury. I'm pretty sure that whenever he can play, Moeen will want to play for Worcestershire.
"He is a player through and through that wants the best for Worcestershire.We welcome him back and we are very optimistic of him playing a major role in the team."
England are keen for Moeen to get some more overs under his belt ahead of the forthcoming Test series against New Zealand.
Rhodes said: "He looked to me as if he was getting things together that second innings (in Bridgetown) and it's like anyone, if you are a batsman and you want to get runs then it's time at the crease. If you are a bowler, then you want to get a few overs under your belt.
"But if it ever comes down to the player and whether he wants to play or not, then Moeen is always keen to play."
