Worcestershire Rapids Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes has named a 12 man squad for the opening Royal London One-Day clash with holders Durham at the Emirates ICG tomorrow (10.30am start).
Batsmen Tom Fell and paceman Charlie Morris are added to the players who have regularly been in action or part of the squad in the other white ball competition – the NatWest T20 Blast in which the Rapids are through to their first ever home quarter-final.
Fell was Worcestershire's leading run-scorer in the RLC in 2014.
Rhodes rotated the pace bowlers in last season's competition and paceman Jack Shantry is rested for the Durham clash.
Shantry has played in all 11 LV = County Championship and 13 T20 Blast fixtures. Durham began their campaign yesterday with a victory over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road with Paul Collingwood scoring a century.
Worcestershire gained a T20 Blast double over Durham but lost the LV = County Championship fixture at New Road.
Rhodes said: "They are a dangerous team in every format because they've got some very good cricketers who can turn it on so we will be very respectful of them."
Rhodes intends to play close to a full strength side in the RLC with the exception of the occasional player being given a breather.
He said: "Yes we have played a lot of cricket but they are young and fresh in the sense that they are hungry to play as many games as possible.
"It is up to us as a support group to make sure they get the right sort of rest.
"We may rest an odd one here and there but hopefully we will be playing pretty much our best one-day team anyway.
"The likes of Charlie Morris and Tom Fell will come into the equation and it will be nice to see them in coloured clothing."
Rhodes is welcoming the change in the rules in this season's competition which includes modifying the fielding restrictions to give more protection to the bowler.
He said:"It will be a little bit of a test tournament in the sense that we've got new rules and we will be one of the first games you will see with these new rules and I do like them.
"It will bring out some really good 50 over cricket so we are looking forward to the competition.
"I like them, I like the sound of them and I think it will make for a very entertaining one-day format, but more importantly more of a balance between bat and ball hopefully.
"I think that's very fair because the bowlers have had it pretty tough with the old rules and they need a helping hand in that format of cricket."
Worcestershire (from):
Oliver
Mitchell
Fell
Kohler-Cadmore
D'Oliveira
Whiteley
Cox
Leach
Barnard
Ajmal
Morris
Clarke
