AUSTRALIAN pace ace Glenn McGrath signalled his arrival at Worcestershire's rain-hit New Road ground yesterday by declaring: "I can't wait to get into action".

And among his top priorities is to help the skipper Graeme Hick's men gain promotion to the County Championship first division.

He said: "Individually, I want to do my best and hopefully help the guys out to move us through into the first division next year. I want to do well for myself, but secondary to the team doing well."

World-class McGrath jetted in at 7am yesterday from South Africa and arrived in Worcester four hours later before linking up with his new team-mates later in the day.

He is now preparing to make a high-profile debut in Friday's Benson and Hedges Cup match against Somerset at Taunton.

The New South Wales star said: "I've basically been going two years on the road now. I had a bit of a break after the World Cup, but not a great deal and, to be honest, the body feels great.

"It's going well. I'm happy with the way I'm bowling and if I can get on a roll and play consistently day in and day out then I think my body can get used to it and cope quite well.

"County cricket is something I always wanted to do and the opportunity came up. I've been playing for two or three years on the trot. The body feels great and if I can play on a regular basis that's the secret behind it. You look at guys like Courtney Walsh and Allan Donald who have played a lot of county cricket and are still doing well."

McGrath admitted that Worcestershire's Australian former captain Tom Moody played a major role in attracting him to New Road.

"We had quite a few chats. He gave nothing but good vibes about Worcestershire and said I'd fit in well and would love playing here. I'm sure I will. My wife, Jane, being from the Midlands, was also a big influence and I did not want to go to a large city. I'm from the country myself and love the English countryside."

McGrath is looking forward to working alongside paceman Alamgir Sheriyar who was the country's leading wicket-taker last year.

"I followed the end of last season and saw he got a few six and seven wicket hauls and finished really well. Hopefully we will work well in tandem."

McGrath is also hoping to assist the County's up-and-coming bowlers in the coming months.

"I'm happy to help the guys out as much as I can in the teams and the squad. Hopefully, they'll find me quite approachable once I've got settled here."