Worcestershire Head Coach Alan Richardson says a fit and firing Matthew Waite “really helps with the balance and quality of our side.”
Waite has made a big impact since making the permanent move to Visit Worcestershire two years ago from Yorkshire after an initial loan spell.
He has generally avoided the injury setbacks he suffered earlier in his career and the statistics back up the contribution he has made for Worcestershire.
The 29-year-old and featured in 21 of the 28 County Championship matches during 2023 and 204, scoring 998 runs at an average of 34.41 and picking up 45 wickets at 31.87.
He has also showed his worth in white ball cricket and one of the highlights of last season was his five sixes and 34 in an over from Birmingham Bears pace bowler George Garton in a Vitality Blast match at Edgbaston.
There were spells on the side-lines – a groin injury in 2023 and a side strain last summer – but overall there has been a durability about Waite and his availability on a regular basis.
Richardson said: “Looking over the two seasons, Waitey has done really well. He was someone we were really hopeful of, someone with a really high ceiling, who probably didn’t have the opportunities at Yorkshire.
“They are a different sort of squad than we have at times and we just saw it as a real opportunity.
“Matthew will be the first to admit he has had some injury setbacks at times but I think a lot of that would be that he didn’t always have those opportunities to play either.
“It is just great wait to watch him flourish and play as well as he has done for Worcestershire and have those opportunities.”
Richardson added: “Something for him to aim at is to continually try and play as much cricket for us, because we know that will be of huge benefit to us, because he has such a huge impact on the games.
“He is a genuine all-rounder, can make an impact with bat and ball, and it is important for him to try and stay on top of that.
“He has been making a really big effort with the physical side of his game, which has been great to watch, because he knows how important it is for him and for us really.
“When we have Matthew available for selection, it really helps with the balance and quality of our side.”
Waite has produced some memorable fluent innings, most notably two in the win over Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in 2023, but there have been others against the likes of Kent, Warwickshire and Lancashire.
Richardson said: “We knew there was a lot of ability there with his batting and, when the new coaching staff came into Yorkshire, just before he left, they considered him to be a batter who bowled a little bit, and I think Matthew’s career up to that date was probably more of a bowling all-rounder.
“But I think we’ve seen he is a genuine all-rounder. We take great pride in batting as deep as we can so Matthew at times has had to bat and seven or eight but I have no doubt he has the quality and the ability to bat higher than that.
“He did that for Yorkshire and it just shows the quality and strength we have with our batting which is something we take great pride in and we know is a really important part of the balance of our side for us to try and be as successful as possible.”
