Skipper Joe Leach is looking for Worcestershire to continue the momentum built up during the climax to last summer when they launch their Specsavers County Championship Division One campaign next month.
The County triumphed in their final four matches in the competition after a mid-season blip to seal the Division Two crown at the end of Leach’s first campaign as captain.
It lifted their win tally to 15 from the last 25 Championship matches since mid-way through the 2016 season.
Leach, who flew out with the squad today for the pre-season training camp in Abu Dhabi, said: “We have a very positive mindset. It has been a winter of change in many respects but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the momentum we got at the back end of last season.
“It is a very similar group of players. We’ve added quality in Steve Magoffin and Travis Head so we are ready to get going and really excited and hopefully we can hit the ground running and get a couple of early wins and see where that takes us.
“We need to win games of cricket. We are not going to do anything radically different to what we did last year.
“What helped us last year was that really fast start, winning four on the bounce to begin with, which not only gives you confidence and momentum but it really helps in terms of the table.
“You are not looking over your shoulder or looking too far ahead. You can just concentrate on winning your games when you see Worcestershire in a place in the table where you want to be and that obviously gives the lads confidence.
“Hopefully if we can get two or three wins in our first little block of games, that will really set us up well for the rest of the year.
“Ultimately it is not a car crash if it doesn’t go to plan but the way we gear up, we are really confident and if we can use that momentum we worked really hard to gain last year in August and September, then great.
“We worked really hard to get that back and now we’ve got it back, although there has been a winter break and a lot of changes, we need to run with it and see where it takes us.”
Leach said the way Worcestershire approach games will not not change in the top flight.
He said: “We play positive cricket, we look to win games, the way we are set up is positive and I don’t really want that to change.
“I think we can shock a few of the guys in Division One about the way we play our cricket and hopefully we can bloody a few noses, more than that really, and throw a spanner in the works like Essex did last year.”
*Read a full interview with Joe Leach on the Worcestershire CCC website during the next few days.
