Jake Libby is looking forward to a reunion with Ish Sodhi. He believes the New Zealand leg spinner will be a valuable addition to the Worcestershire Rapids attack in the Vitality Blast.
Libby played alongside Sodhi during his two seasons with Notts Outlaws, who visit New Road for the opening Blast fixture on Wednesday (5.30pm start).
He flew from New Zealand on Saturday evening immediately after signing for the Rapids entire North Group programme.
Libby said: “I spent time with Ish at Notts, and I am a massive fan of his. He certainly is a mystery spinner, and I think he will work really well here at New Road.
“He has got a good sense of humour, but, in terms of his bowling, he mixes it up and has got great variation, so he is going to be hard to pick.
“I think on the type of wickets we will play on here, he will be a real handful to batsmen in the middle overs.
“I sent him a message a couple of days ago when I found out he was coming to New Road, and he is raring to go and looking forward to it.”
With Australian left-arm fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis also part of the Rapids squad, Libby believes the Rapids have a potent bowling line-up.
He said: “I think it is an exciting attack. We’ve got a top-notch left armer and a leg spinner, and that mixture in the attack is going to be good for us going forward.
“Ben has got a fantastic record, and his name is right up there. He was the leading wicket-taker for the Sydney Sixers in winning the Big Bash.
“When we signed him, we knew what a good player he was, and his record speaks for itself. He has done great things in Australia.
“He has been around the lads a few days now and seems a really good bloke, and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do for us.
“I think we’ve got great bowling attack and some real fire-power in the batting and, as a group, we’ve got to be excited going into the competition.”
The opening game sees the battle of two of the top sides in the competition in recent seasons, with Notts Outlaws the current champions.
Libby said: “Notts are really strong, and it’s a tough first game for us, but our record in the competition in the last few years has been really good.
“We will back ourselves going into that fixture, and, with a few new faces, it will bring a fresh energy into the group.”
