Wednesday, January 25th, 2017

Shantry And Tongue To Be Part Of Pre-Season Camp After Injury Concerns

Shantry And Tongue To Be Part Of Pre-Season Camp After Injury Concerns

Steve Rhodes has confirmed pace duo Jack Shantry and Josh Tongue will be part of the Worcestershire squad for the pre-season camp in Abu Dhabi as they bid to be fit for the start of the new campaign.

But another paceman in George Scrimshaw will miss the start of the 2017 campaign with the back injury suffered during the England Young Lions training camp in the UAE last month.

Shantry has been side-lined with a lower back problem while Tongue underwent surgery in September on a lumbar spine injury and has been undergoing a winter programme.

Shantry came home early from a stint of grade cricket abroad because of his setback while Tongue's injury initially came to light when on England Under-19 duty after playing in a warm-up match for last sumer's series with Sri Lanka Under-19s.

But the good news is they will be flying out with their County team-mates to Abu Dhabi in early March.

Rhodes said: "Both Shants and Josh are going through back to bowling programmes and both will be doing bowling on the pre-season camp.

"They will possibly do match bowling as well at the end of that week to be ready for when we get back for the pre-season programe of matches in England.

"George is the one that won't be fit for the start of the season so he won't be going on the camp.

"He will be a little way into the season before we can get him back playing in matches because of a back problem."