Promoted Worcestershire have signed ex-West Indies skipper Jason Holder for the opening 5 County Championship video games on their return to Division One.
The 32-year-old Barbados all-rounder is scheduled to make his Pears debut in opposition to neighbours Warwickshire at Edgbaston subsequent Friday.
Holder will even play within the away video games with Nottinghamshire and Kent.
They arrive both facet of the 2 residence video games with Durham and Somerset at non permanent residence Kidderminster.
Holder’s arrival comes on the identical day the membership introduced batter Kashif Ali has agreed a brand new contract till 2027.
Kashif, 26, grew to become the primary member of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to signal a contract for a first-class county when he joined the Pears on a two-year deal in 2022.
He scored 114 on his Record A debut within the One-Day Cup that 12 months in opposition to Kent and fell seven runs in need of a maiden red-ball century within the closing sport of final season at Yorkshire as Worcestershire clinched their return to Division One.
“I need to carry on enhancing and consider that may occur at Worcestershire to whom I’ll at all times be thankful for giving me an opportunity in first-class cricket,” Kashif said.
“The purpose is to be on the prime of my sport and be as constant as potential in all codecs and kick on as a lot as potential in the course of the subsequent 4 years.
“However the preliminary purpose is to try to play as large an element as potential in serving to the group set up themselves in Division One of many County Championship.”
Holder set for second stint in county cricket
Holder has had one earlier expertise of nation cricket when he joined Northamptonshire for the primary month of the 2019 season and performed in two Championship video games and 5 One-Day Cup matches.
He would be the Pears’ second abroad participant in Championship cricket following the acquisition of New Zealander Nathan Smith.
Additionally they have Smith, who completed because the main wicket-taker this winter in New Zealand’s home Plunket Defend competitors, and Pakistan spinner Usama Mir signed as much as play within the T20 Blast.
“When somebody of Jason’s expertise and high quality turns into accessible, even for a brief window, we simply needed to leap at it,” said Worcestershire chief government Ashley Giles.
“We all know on the sphere as a cricketer he’s a world class all-rounder however, off the sphere, he’s a world class particular person as effectively.
“We’re additionally conscious that beginning the season effectively goes to be essential to us and having him in our line-up can solely assist that.
“Simply having somebody of his high quality whenever you take to the sphere provides you an enormous elevate.
“You might be again in Division One, it is going to be powerful, and you’ll solely be higher in case you’ve received Jason Holder in that line-up. He has an enormous presence.”