Worcestershire Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes has praised the flourishing Daryl Mitchell-Brett D'Oliveira opening partnership – and says the pair "compliment each other in many ways."
Rhodes gave D'Oliveira the opportunity to open at first team level in the County Championship at the tail-end of last season after he had been pushed up the order in the Seconds by coach Kevin Sharp.
He showed enough promise to be given another crack alongside the long established Mitchell, who is closing in on 10,000 first class runs, at the start of the current campaign.
D'Oliveira has so far been the more prolific with a double century, a hundred and a 99 in the longer format of the game.
But Mitchell has played a full part in opening stands of 286 v Oxford MCCU, 179 against Essex and 113 off the Sussex attack.
Rhodes, whose side face Derbyshire at the 3aaa County Ground today, said: "I think if you look back, Mitch has opened the batting in first class cricket for quite a lot of years now so there is vast experience.
"He has got big runs, he has batted for long periods of time and I think he has been good for Dolly – but I also think Dolly is good for Mitch.
"I think Dolly's aggressive running between the wickets gets Mitch going and I think both of them are more in a position to pounce on the 'four' ball because of it.
"They compliment each other in many ways and let's hope it continues and we have some good starts in many matches to come.
"It is important to get good starts and hopefully that opening partnership will carry on for a long time."
