Rhodes thrilled by Brown’s progress

THE strides Pat Brown has made this year have made him impossible to ignore for the first-team, according to Steve Rhodes.

And the director of cricket believes Brown’s ascent proves that the path from the seconds to firsts is clear for all to see at Worcestershire.

Paceman Brown, 18, is on a cricket scholarship at Worcester University but has been making waves in the Rapids second XI.

He has been consistently among the wickets, as well as bowling economically, and earned a first T20 Blast squad call-up for the clash against Derbyshire on Wednesday.

That came after he was also named in the squad for the County Championship match with Glamorgan last month, and Rhodes claims the teenager has wowed everyone at New Road.

“Pat has done fantastically,” he said. “We are really pleased with the development he is making.

“He has surprised me this year with the progress he’s made, and he is showing people, not just me but the captain and other players, that he is well worth his involvement with us in the squad.

“Pat has got a bit of pace and, for a quick bowler, he is a reasonable fielder and it’s a case of another developing academy product, which is really nice.”

Some of Brown’s best figures came in back-to-back games against Northants second XI last month.

He took 3-30 in a T20 success at Wantage Road before notching 4-34 in the second innings of a comprehensive Second XI Championship win.

His performances have helped Worcestershire to the top of the Championship with two games remaining but second XI coach Kevin Sharp also insists that the aggressive philosophy at the club has paid dividends.

He said: “Our philosophy is always to be prepared to lose in order to win.We make sure if the game is not taking its course on the third day we somehow get into a situation where we can have a really good game of cricket.

“There is nothing worse than playing ‘dead’ cricket for two thirds of the last day for a monotonous draw.”