Dillon Pennington returns to the Worcestershire squad for the LV=Insurance County Championship match with Durham at the Seat Unique Riverside beginning on Thursday.
Pennington missed the eight-wicket win over Derbyshire at the Incora County Ground as a precautionary measure because of a hamstring niggle.
But the pace bowler, Worcestershire’s leading wicket-taker in the Championship last summer with 44 victims, is available as part of a 14-strong squad for the trip to Durham.
He is added to the group of players selected for the Derbyshire game.
Head Coach Alan Richardson confirmed: “Dillon will be in the squad for Durham. If we had been playing towards the end of last season, he would have played.
“He would have been fine, but at the start of the season, it would have been too big a risk.
“It’s nice to have him back. His influence on the field, especially after last season when he bowled superbly, is a big factor for us.
“But it was also great to have him in and around the squad for the last couple of days at Derby as well. He’s a good character, a bit of a cheerleader for us.
“He is desperate to get out there and play, he is up to speed and looks in good rhythm at the moment.
“Dillon has also had the capacity to bowl really good spells and get the best batters out and, as he’s matured and got a bit more experienced, you’ve seen that consistency come in.
“He’ll be excited to get back out there.”
Pace bowler, Adam Finch, and spinner, Josh Baker, will link up with the squad after the opening two days of the Seconds Championship match with Yorkshire at Bradford.
They also got in some match practice last Friday in two T20 matches for the Seconds against the South Asian Cricket Association at Kidderminster after being released from duty at Derby.
Joe Leach will go into the game needing just one more wicket to reach the 400 mark in first class cricket for Worcestershire.
He picked up five wickets against Derbyshire and bowled a series of impressive spells.
Leach went past the 400 mark in his career last summer, but that figure also included his wickets for Leeds-Bradford UCCE.
