Adil Rashid exploited conditions that were more reminiscent of August than early April with a first-day six-wicket haul in front of watching England selector Geoff Miller.
Seamers usually thrive on early-season green-tops at New Road but with little rain since January, groundsman Tim Packwood was able to produce an unusually dry pitch. Rashid cashed in, undermining Worcestershire after a promising start on their return to the top flight with six for 77 in 29 overs.
The leg-spinner’s figures are believed to be the best by a spinner on the first day of a championship season at New Road since Worcestershire entered the competition in 1899. It was a mature performance that may have gone some way to convincing Miller that Rashid is ready for Test cricket if England decide to play another spinner alongside Graeme Swann.
England have so far used Rashid sparingly, in just five one-days internationals and as many T20 internationals. He was flown out to the World Cup as replacement for Mike Yardy but arrived in Colombo just in time to watch England’s quarter-final defeat by Sri Lanka.
Rashid helped South Australia win Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 competition before his travels during a busy second half of the winter took him to the Caribbean, where he took 13 wickets in four matches for England Lions.
There was a little slow turn for Rashid yesterday but he took most of his wickets through intelligent variations of flight and pace and regular use of his googly and slider.
“I’ve come into the season with a bit of match practice in the winter but to get six wickets in the first game is a real confidence booster,” Rashid said.
“The pitch was quite dry and it turned only slowly so I had to mix up, bowling a lot of googlies and sliders.”
Rashid bowled few bad balls but the same could not be said of the seamers, who allowed Worcestershire to prosper in the morning then rally in the evening when Matt Mason and Alan Richardson plundered 68 in a lively last-wicket stand.
Mason thumped eight fours and flicked Ryan Sidebottom for six in a 48-ball half-century. He was trying to scamper the single that would have taken him to a career-best score of 64 when he was run out by a direct hit from Steve Patterson.
Some bookmakers have made Worcestershire 20-1 on favourites to be relegated for the fourth time after just one season in the First Division and 100-1 to win the title.
Two years ago they were relegated without winning a match but the battling qualities that secured them promotion against the odds last season were evident on occasions here.
Daryl Mitchell, an unassuming and underrated cricketer, played fluently, taking three fours from one wayward Patterson over, until he was pinned LBW propping forward to Rashid’s slider one short of his first half century since he was appointed Worcestershire captain last August.
Matt Pardoe, a tall and well-organised left-hander from Kidderminster, showed more composure on his debut than Alexei Kervezee and Moeen Ali and he helped to rebuild the innings in a sixth-wicket stand of 62 with the aggressive Gareth Andrew.
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