With his 16th summer at New Road honing into view, one of the most prolific and distinguished players ever to wear the Three Pears, today celebrates another milestone…
Celebrating his 34th birthday today, there is no doubt that the hunger to succeed is as prominent today as it was on his very first appearance for the Pears, back in 2011.
Enjoy a look back over the glistening career of Club Captain, Brett D’Oliveira, one that is inundated with moments to remember.
Before bowling a ball for the Club, the cricketing folklore that had preceded Brett had helped Worcestershire fans certify the notion that the son of the great Damian and grandson of the admired Basil, would surely go on to become a Worcestershire legend of his own ilk – it simply could not be any other way.
And how those faithful were proved right! From the moment he progressed out of the Academy and into a senior Worcestershire shirt for the first time on 29th August 2011, a third generation of D’Oliveira has gone on to write his own cricketing love story with the Club he now, and always has, called home.
Although not a debut to dominate the newspaper headlines, the then 19-year-old did register his first wicket for Worcestershire in his maiden appearance, taking the scalp of a certain Joe Root in a Clydesdale Bank Pro40 match at Headingly, finishing with figures of 1-30 from his five overs against Yorkshire.
Just under a year later and a first-class debut arrived, where Brett made his County Championship bow in a Division One clash with Warwickshire, where the then transitioning batter scored 19 and 11 in a modest first red-ball appearance.
With opportunities limited in the years to come, it was 2015 where the future Club Captain would really make his mark, establishing himself as an adept opening batter, scoring just shy of 300 runs in somewhat of a breakthrough year in first-class cricket.
Having signed a three-year contract extension at the start of 2016, Brett continued his excellent form with a maiden first class century, away at Essex in May of that same year, before following up his 128 with a stunning 202* just a week later against Glamorgan, at Sophia Gardens.
His most frugal spell in Club colours had served as a timely reminder, to those that needed it, that Worcestershire had a very special player on their hands.
A decade on from that sparkling double-hundred, that innings remains his highest score in red-ball cricket, despite having produced plenty other unforgettable innings along the way.
Making his mark as not only an all-rounder, but an all-format player, a pillar of Brett’s career success is without doubt his flexibility, that has seen him bat across the top seven in both red and white ball cricket, whilst becoming equally suited to bowl at both ends of an innings whenever the situation dictates.
Since registering his maiden century in first-class cricket, the third generation D’Oliveira has gone on to score 12 more centuries for the Pears, coupled with 25 half-centuries in the County Championship, that leave him with over 6,000 runs for Worcestershire at an average of 31.83.
Brett’s white ball prowess continued to develop alongside his blossoming red-ball career, culminating in an unforgettable 2018 Vitality Blast T20 campaign, which saw the Rapids crowned champions on a magical day after an exhilarating run to Finals Day, a campaign where Brett played a starring role, running out Sussex batter Phil Salt during the final.
Despite falling just short of the mark in the same competition a year later, in an agonising last-gasp finals day defeat to Essex, Brett had cemented himself as a genuine all-format star.
Short in stature, the skilful leg-spinner honed his bowling with a plethora of weapons in his arsenal, able to manufacture awkward angles for batters with flighted, dipping deliveries that loop above the eyeline and turn sharply.
Although his bowling is not as a predominant as it perhaps was during the earlier stages of his career, with over 80 first-class scalps to his name, the numbers speak volumes of the quality Worcestershire’s number 15 possesses with the ball.
Recording best figures against Glamorgan, back in 2019, Brett displayed his influence across all facets of the game by following up his spellbinding 7-92 with a majestic 103 batting at number nine.
Having established himself as not only a fine player in his own right, but a vital cog in the Worcestershire side, it was a surprise to very few, when, in 2021 he was announced as Club Captain for the following season.
The Captaincy tenure began in fine fashion, with Brett registering back-to-back centuries against Leicestershire and Sussex in the opening two matches of the 2022 County Championship Division Two campaign, with his exceptional leadership culminating in a historic promotion back to Division One in September of 2023.
The impact of one of Worcestershire’s finest won’t be underestimated. Partly down to his longevity, but largely due to the exhibitions of his class across all three formats throughout his exceptional career at New Road.
A List-A top score of 138 was recorded in the not-too-distant past, where a sublime century in the summer of 2025 set the Rapids on their way to a beautifully paced chase of over 300 against Derbyshire – a knock described by Head Coach, Alan Richardson, as one of the finest hundred’s he has witnessed from his captain.
Although eventually forced to watch from the balcony on the day of the Metro Bank One Day Cup Final last summer after sustaining a season-ending ankle injury in the lead up to the final, the true attributes of Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s adopted son were on show across the day of the final as his ‘team-first’ mentality radiated through the playing group.
Out with the playing group on the practice day before the showpiece event, Brett could be seen picking up balls, giving advice and continuing to be the true leader he has become so famed for on the pitch.
Although restricted to watching the game from the players balcony, with crutches and his ankle in a protective boot, his selflessness, leadership and genuine care for this group was personified in the emotional celebrations that followed.
With the 2026 season edging closer, another chapter in the remarkable story of a true Club legend waits to be written.
