New signing Ethan Brookes will spend his first winter as a Worcestershire player in Australia playing grade cricket.
Brookes, who has signed a two-year contract at New Road, is to play for Prahran CC in the Victorian Premier Cricket League.
He will fly out next Wednesday (October 25) for a combination of one-day, two-day and T20 fixtures, with the VPCL the highest standard competition in the state.
Brookes returns from Down Under on March 11 in time for Worcestershire’s pre-season programme before the 2024 campaign.
He enjoyed a successful spell with Prahran CC last winter and scored 133 off 140 balls against Melbourne as well as two fifties in the T20 competition.
Worcestershire Head Coach, Alan Richardson, confirmed: “Ethan is going to playing grade cricket in Melbourne, which he did last winter as well, and did it really well.”
Brookes said he had “returned a better cricketer” after last winter’s four-month spell with Prahran and he won their Fielder Of The Year award.
Prahran wrote on their official Facebook feed that Brookes “had been incredible at PCC this year, fitting in very well.”
Prahran CC was formed in the 19th century and several cricketers have gone onto represent Australia including, in more recent times, Chris Rogers and David Hussey.
