Joe Clarke back in the Pears ranks
Shropshire cricket star Joe Clarke was set to return to the Worcestershire side against Leeds-Bradford today after a mini break following his extensive stint of winter action on three different fronts.
And Pears director of cricket Steve Rhodes believes Clarke will reap the benefits after his up and down experiences during the past few months.
Clarke finished as Worcestershire’s leading scorer in the County Championship last summer with 1,200 runs and five centuries, including a career best 194 against Derbyshire in the final game.
Since then he has had enjoyed a steady diet of cricket, starting with the England Lions in the UAE pre-Christmas and then in Sri Lanka for five weeks in February-March.
That was followed by his involvement in the three-match North-versus-South series and finally for the MCC against Middlesex in the UAE.
The 20-year-old endured a challenging time with the Lions before scoring a half-century for the North in the opening 50-over clash.
He then produced a typically classy 89 for the MCC against the county champions in Abu Dhabi, although Middlesex ultimately won a thrilling contest by one wicket. Clarke reported back to New Road on Wednesday after being given a few days off to recharge the batteries and he was not selected for the friendly encounters with Somerset at Taunton Vale and Gloucestershire at RGS Worcester.
Rhodes confirmed: “
I think he is looking forward to playing for Worcestershire again and hopefully scoring runs there.”
