Captain Jake Libby is in confident mood ahead of the start of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, eager to get underway, with his Worcestershire side in a much-improved place on the eve of the opening fixture of the 2025 campaign.
After being left with a skeleton squad last season, through a combination of injuries and unavailabilities, the Rapids are in a much improved position this time around.
Speaking ahead of the first group match away to Notts Outlaws on Thursday, Libby welcomed this year’s preparation and made clear his excitement at the prospect of having a squad close to full strength to pick from.
“We are spoiled for choice this year after last year!
“Obviously we ended up getting quite a lot of loanees in, Adam (Hose) is away with the Hundred, but it still makes it exciting. I think we’re very strong, but we’ve been strong and competitive in the last couple of years, getting to the quarter finals which will be our aim again – to just go as far as we can within the competition.
“We’ve got great depth as well. I think there’ll be more senior players probably coming into the competition as we start, but certainly we get a nice mix of guys out there.
“It will be key probably rotating the ballers around a little bit, but in a way, we are kind of spoilt sport for choice in that department. So it’s a good problem to have and hopefully that means we can go far in this competition.”
Enjoying a sensational recent run of form, including two centuries in one match against Hampshire in Round 11 of the Rothesay County Championship match at Visit Worcestershire New Road, Libby continued his fine form with another hundred against Herefordshire in Tuesday’s 50-over warm-up fixture.
The skipper for the campaign, says playing at Eastnor Cricket Club gave his side a reality check about the sort of conditions and environments the team will be facing, as the Rapids head to several out grounds across the course of the Metro Bank One Day Cup this season.