Worcestershire Head Coach Alan Richardson says Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira currently “looks in a really good spot” after 18 months of coping with a shoulder problem.
Richardson believes D’Oliveira has been “really impressive” since Worcestershire have stepped up their cricket preparations, often in the nets at Malvern, in the New Year.
There is still work to be done on areas such as diving with D’Oliveira having always been one of Worcestershire’s most athletic fielders.
But the signs are encouraging for a key component in Worcestershire’s 2024 County Championship campaign as a leader and also in producing some crucial knocks on his return to the side for the finale of the summer.
Richardson said: “How is Brett coming along with his shoulder? What I have noticed is how well he is moving at the moment in terms of how well he is practicing.
“We’ve tried to grade it up a little bit with Brett, and we gave him as much time as possible so he didn’t do too much in terms of cricket before Christmas, but he was working hard on his fitness.
“As we’ve got into the cricket, he has been really, really impressive. We are still trying to work on certain things for him, just trying to get a bit of confidence into diving and things which is still a big thing for Brett.
“But I was actually just looking over the other day in the nets, watching him play and he looks in a really good spot at the moment so long may that continue.
“It would be nice to watch him with a smile on his face and not a grimace (from the pain) if I’m honest!”
Richardson paid tribute to the character and effort put in by D’Oliveira to play when in pain since the tail-end of the 2023 campaign when he returned against the odds to lead the side to promotion from Division Two of the Championship.
He said: “It is easy to forget that for the last 18 months he has played in pain which is really frustrating for him since he had the operation.
“A lot of the cricket he would have played in the last 18 months is not always a representation of him.
