Ben Cox hails Worcestershire after innings win

Charlie Morris took seven second innings wickets, returning 7-45 in 19.3 as the hosts were bowled out for 233 in their second innings at Grace Road. Worcestershire, who had declared on 533-6, won by an innings and 18 runs after bowling Leicestershire out for 302 and then enforcing the follow-on.

Skipper Cox, from Wordsley, said: “I’m really pleased with the lads– to come here in our first game and produce a team performance like that I thought was exceptional. It was a really really good team performance.”

Cox, who hit an unbeaten century – Darryl Mitchell (114) and Hamish Rutherford (123) also scored tons – added: “The pitch was good throughout – that’s why I think we had to enforce the follow-on, I think we needed as much time as possible. It was an outstanding cricket wicket, to be honest, though 550 was probably too many.

“Charlie Morris has been our most consistent bowler pre-season, and he thoroughly deserves those figures. Everybody contributed, but everybody’s really pleased for him.”

Joss Tongue and Ross Whiteley chipped in with the other second innings wickets as Worcestershire picked up their first 24-point haul of the season.

Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon felt there were positives to take, but added his side had not done the basics well enough.

“A couple of decisions didn’t go our way,” he said. “But they had three centurions and our top score was 69 – that’s disappointing.

“There were positives and the younger players will learn from the way the likes of Rutherford, Mitchell and Ben Cox played.”

“We put them in because this was their first game, we felt Worcestershire hadn’t batted against a county side in their build-up to the season, the overhead conditions favoured the bowlers and we thought the pitch might do more than it did. It did move, and there were plenty of plays and misses on that first morning, but the nicks didn’t go to hand.”