Worcestershire sign Surrey spinner Virdi on loan

Amar Virdi has not made a Championship appearance for Surrey since September 2021

Worcestershire have signed spinner Amar Virdi from county champions Surrey on a one-game County Championship loan.

Virdi, 25, will play in the four-day game with Durham at Chester-le-Street, starting on Sunday.

He will be the second spinner signed by the Pears for one Championship match in succession, following Shoaib Bashir's temporary arrival for this week's home game with Surrey.

But Bashir, who had also played in two Worcestershire T20 games, was then taken for a County Championship 38 in one over by one of Virdi's Surrey colleagues Dan Lawrence.

The Pears, who are yet to win in eight red-ball games this season after being promoted with Division Two champions Durham in September, will start the week in ninth, in the first of the two relegation places, 27 points behind their fourth-placed hosts.

The Pears, who tragically lost young Josh Baker in early May, remain weak in their spin department.

They were without skipper Brett D'Oliveira for this week's game, while Kashif Ali only bowled two overs on his return to the side.

Virdi, who has represented England at the Under-19 level, has been part of the England training squads for various international series - but injuries have curtailed his progress.

He played in four One-Day Cup games last summer, but he has not made a County Championship appearance for Surrey since September 2021.

He made one Championship appearance in 2022, but that was on loan to Somerset against Lancashire at Southport, where he failed to take a wicket.