Gareth Roderick is enjoying being back behind the stumps and says it also benefits his batting as he looks for Worcestershire to end the 2022 campaign on a high in the LV=Insurance County Championship match with Middlesex at New Road beginning tomorrow (Monday).
Roderick has hit back-to-back centuries against Glamorgan (172 not out) and Nottinghamshire (102) and currently tops the Worcestershire batting averages with 447 runs at 89.40.
He also went past 300 first class catches in his career with the seven taken against Nottinghamshire and rates the acrobatic effort to dismiss Joe Clarke in the second innings in his personal top three of catches taken.
He said: “For me to be contributing now, especially in games that end in wins for the side, is what you play for.
“You don’t really want the season to come to an end now when you hit a bit of form.
“To have the gloves back on, a little bit in the white ball and then the red ball, it’s given me a bit of added confidence and felt really natural.
“I’ve definitely enjoyed having the gloves back on, and think it has helped with my batting as well, having more than one string to my bow.”
As regards the catch to dismiss Clarke, Roderick said: “You fling yourself to the left and hope that it sticks in your hand! Fortunately, it did.
“It would be in my top three dismissals. I had a couple in my early years at Gloucestershire that were up there.
“It was to my weaker hand, in which over the years I’ve had broken fingers, so it was nice to see it stay in there and then have a bit of a celebration with the lads. It was good fun.”
Roderick is hoping for a repeat of the showing by Worcestershire against Nottinghamshire to bring down the curtain on the season.
He said: “It was one of the most complete performances of the year.
“It was good after a few unlucky results with the weather in the last few weeks and we have played some really good cricket during the past month.
“Hopefully, we can finish on a high and get another result.”
Worcestershire have named an unchanged 13-strong squad – the 11 players in action against Nottinghamshire plus Ben Cox and Adam Finch.
Matthew Waite will conclude his loan spell before moving to Worcestershire on a permanent basis from Yorkshire on a three-year contract.
He has already taken ten wickets in his two appearances for Worcestershire at just 10.90 runs apiece.
Head Coach Alex Gidman said: “He has already shown what he is capable of. We were hopeful that the signing was going to be a successful one, and he has settled in extremely well.”
Fellow all-rounder Ed Barnard will play his final game for Worcestershire before joining Warwickshire.
