County Championship: Worcestershire look to defy odds to stay in Division One

As for how this year will go, the Pears’ warm-weather preparations could not have gone any better – both out at their Desert Springs Resort training camp in Andalucia in Spain and then back in Worcestershire at Kidderminster during an amazingly mild late March.

Last year, they did not host any Championship cricket at New Road until 26 May because of a succession of floods.

“The weather has been very kind to us,” said Richardson. “We haven’t missed a ball of pre-season, which is the first time in living memory for me.

“We had three fast bowlers out at the end of last season – Adam Finch, Ben Gibbon and Yadvinder Singh.

“All those guys have come through pre-season with flying colours.”

Mention of the better weather does not mean to say there has not been flooding over the winter. But there has not been enough to prevent the team being ready to stage their first home game at the end of the month, after starting with away trips to Somerset, promoted Yorkshire and then to Essex.

“We’ve been challenged again,” said chief executive Ashley Giles. “But we’re very much looking forward to the new season – and to starting again at New Road on 25 April.”

“There have only been four full floods at New Road this winter. That’s an improvement on last year.”