With the days drawing out, the grass being tended and spring finally in the air, everyone at Worcestershire County Cricket Club is gearing up for another bumper summer at New Road.
At the heart of those preparations is Club Captain, Brett D’Oliveira, who is no stranger to the pre-season protocol.
2025 saw the side experience the ecstasy of being crowned Metro Bank One Day Cup Champions, while also facing more challenging moments in the Rothesay County Championship. But Brett is more familiar than most in regards to the emotional rollercoaster of the sport and reflected on the season with honesty, during the Club’s recent kit launch shoot in Bologna.
“Anytime you win a trophy you have to cherish those moments, because people spend entire careers trying to win a trophy, and thankfully I have been able to do so, which is why I think it is important to celebrate them.
“When you strip that back and put a bit of a leadership hat on, ‘frustrating’ is the word I would use to describe last year in lots of ways, not just from me, but from all of the group and the fans as well, we could sense that.
“We didn’t quite get it right in four-day cricket, we managed to get ahead in games, but we didn’t hammer home those crucial moments, but hopefully we will only get better at that and put it right this summer.”
Underpinning the success of last summer was a well-balanced blend of youth and experience, with young stars emerging across all forms of cricket at New Road.
Dan Lategan, Isaac Mohammed, Henry Cullen, Jack Home and Rehaan Edavalath were amongst the beneficiaries of Alan Richardson’s squad selections that saw the next generation of Worcestershire stars continue to develop on the big stage.
Keen to keep the wheels in motion and the much talked about ‘evolution’ continuing both on and off the pitch at the Club, another shrewd recruitment drive has seen Usama Mir return to the club on a T20 contract, whilst experienced long format all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel has also put pen to paper with the Pears for 2026.
The combination of new additions and a growing conveyor belt of young talent makes for a very exciting prospect, according to Brett.
“To have any international experience is great, but to have any guys coming over from other countries means we can lean on that experience they bring. Usama brings lots of experience and is a great man, so to have his level head back around the group is exciting.
“I don’t know Beyers personally, but he is obviously a very skilful cricketer and hopefully he can help us get over the line in a few games.
“The senior guys and the coaching staff are very good at bringing through the young players, but it also needs to feel like you are recruiting the right people, mixed in with all the young crop it kind of epitomises what we are about at the Club.”
With a handful of the squad extending their season by travelling overseas to continuing to play for respective Club sides, Brett and the rest of the group have been hard at work since the turn of the year, improving fitness, spending time in the gym and fine-tuning their skills at Malvern College.
With team preparations in full swing just three weeks out from the first ball of the summer, all the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together for Alan Richardson’s side, who travel to Derbyshire for their first assignment of 2026.
In the thick of it and loving it as much as he ever has done, the skipper said the excitement and eagerness is palpable as Brett’s team turn their attentions to a busy first block of fixtures in the Rothesay County Championship.
“I have that buzz and excitement to get competitive again. I love the contest of bat versus ball, and ultimately, I want to help the team in anyway I can.
“With the way the start of the season is set up in small blocks of fixtures, we know it is really important to get off to a good start so will take each day as it comes. The target will be to be as competitive as we can for as long as we can.
“We know if we stick to our basics, we are good enough to beat any team around us, so if we can stick to our guns for long periods, we will absolutely fine.”
“There won’t be one person in that dressing room who doesn’t want to get back into Division One, that is definitely my view on it, but I don’t want us to look too broadly at it, I think if we just focus on each game as it comes the rest of it takes care of itself.”
Into his 16th season inside the Worcestershire dressing room, the adorned fans favourite is set to play a key part in the Club’s challenge on all three fronts once again this summer.
Fully recovered from a significant ankle injury that saw him miss the conclusion of last season, the top-order batter had enjoyed his time in a Rapids squad that made an impressive late charge for knockout qualification in the Vitality Blast T20, where the team missed out on a top four place during a frantic final round of North group matches.
Keen to play his part in an evolving Rapids white-ball side, Brett says the excitement has already begun to build amongst the group, with the new, regionalised tournament seeing Worcestershire set to reignite some old rivalries.
“The T20 competition will definitely feel different because we haven’t played some of those teams in a very long time, we will have to do some work and analysing of those teams before we face them for sure!
“The lads are already talking about the Friday night games and there is a lot of excitement around the place about the potential of playing at a packed-out New Road.
“We go into every competition trying to win it, so we will be focussing really hard in the 50-over comp to try and defend that crown as well.
“We want to play an exciting brand of cricket and entertain where we can, but we have to be smart in the ways that we do that and hopefully that helps up put some wins on the board.”
