Steve Rhodes insists Worcestershire CCC are "in no better hands than that of Matt Mason" as he begins another spell away from New Road coaching England Lions.
Director of Cricket Rhodes flew out to the UAE yesterday (Wednesday) – along with Joe Clarke and Ross Whiteley – ahead of five 50 over matches against Pakistan 'A'.
Rhodes has already been part of the Lions backroom team for the 3-2 win over Pakistan 'A' in Dubai in the T20 series last month.
He has complete faith in Assistant Coach and Bowling Coach Mason during his absence.
Rhodes said: "This place is in no better hands than with Matt Mason when I'm not here.
"He is very experienced now and learning all the time and this introduction to leading the group is perfect for him.
"He's got these two slots either side of Christmas and I know he is enjoying it, the challenges of being in charge but all the playing group and support staff have also enjoyed that.
"It is a good tonic for Matt but also a good learning curve for him and we've got a lot of things right here at Worcester. A lot of it is having the right people to do that job right."
Rhodes added: "Are I preparing Matt for when I might want to move on? I think plans for your staff, developing your staff, is just as important as developing players.
"Matt has got really good credentials for leading teams and it might be something he wants to pursue down the line.
"If that's at Worcester, then great. It could be somewhere else.
"But he is Worcester through and through like all of us are here and we want to make sure all our staff are developing because Worcs CCC get the benefit.
"Just as we want the players to develop, it's just as important for a Matt Mason, Kevin Sharp (batting and second team coach), and Elliot Wilson (academy coach) or myself even to keep moving forward and improving.
"Sometimes you do that with opportunities and this has been a nice opportunity for Matt to get a flavour."
