Worcestershire: Coach Steve Rhodes hoping for change of luck

Worcestershire coach Steve Rhodes is hoping for a change of luck when they roll up in Southampton for this week's Championship game against Hampshire.

After a rain-affected draw in their opening game against Lancashire, Rhodes' men suffered a 10-wicket defeat on Saturday against Glamorgan.

Fit-again paceman Richard Jones returns but, most of all, Rhodes is aware of the need to have luck on their side.

"Nothing went our way last week at Cardiff," Rhodes told BBC Sport.

"But I've been in this game long enough to know there's days when nothing goes right, that you're almost destined to lose.

"It started with the toss, then we went off for bad light when we could not take advantage of the same conditions they'd bowled us out under.

"Then, with so much wind, the pitch dried and flattened and we suffered three freakish dismissals.

"A lot went against us, but this next game against Hampshire is an opportunity to put things right.

"We've now had four different batsmen make fifties in our two games so far, Daryl Mitchell, Moeen Ali, Thilan Samaraweera and Gareth Andrew. It's time for people to start going on to get big ones."

As for the bowling attack, Jones is fit following a tweaked hamstring that forced him to make a late withdrawal from the Lancashire game and comes in to replace David Lucas.

"Richard had a game for the second XI last week and got five wickets, so he's ready," said Rhodes.

The match is the last of three consecutive away fixtures, after which Worcestershire have a two-week break from four-day cricket, with a three-day game against Oxford MCCU in The Parks and a YB40 trip to face Sussex at Hove, before their first home Championship game of the season against Leicestershire at New Road on 8 May.

Worcestershire: D K H Mitchell (capt), M G Pardoe, M M Ali, T T Samaraweera, A N Kervezee, N D Pinner, M Johnson (wk), G M Andrew, R A Jones, C J Russell, A Richardson. 12th man: S H Choudhry.