WORCESTERSHIRE are confident pace star Andy Bichel will be fit to play in tomorrow's Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-final showdown with Gloucestershire at Bristol.

He suffered a hamstring tweak in the County's home Championship defeat against Essex and missed yesterday's crushing 127-run Norwich Union League Division One win over Somerset.

Worcestershire's Director of Cricket Tom Moody said today: "He's going along well so we are more than confident he'll be fine for tomorrow."

Moody is delighted that the County will be going into the clash on the back of such a comprehensive win over Somerset.

He said: "It was good to get back into the form we left in the Benson and Hedges Cup. We played exceptionally well with a polished all-round performance."

Worcestershire will be appearing in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1995 and are keen to gain revenge for the six wicket defeat they suffered at home against Gloucestershire in a group match last month.

Moody said: "We had a minor hiccup against Gloucestershire, but that page has been well and truly turned. We have played some very good one-day cricket and we have still got room to improve.

"We are a lot better fielding side than what we have been in the past. We have got good depth in our batting and we've also got variety in the bowling department.

"There are those little areas we can improve on, you need to when you come up against good sides and particularly when you come in at the quarter and semi-finals and beyond."

Gloucestershire will be without Ian Harvey who won the Gold Award for his 4-21 when the sides met in the group encounter.

He suffered a broken finger in a recent match against Hampshire.

Worcestershire, meanwhile, are likely to be without opener Stephen Peters for six weeks following the broken right thumb he sustained while taking a catch in the Championship game against his former club Essex.

Worcs (from): Solanki, Singh, Hick, Smith, Leatherdale, Batty, Rhodes, Kabir Ali, Lampitt, Rawnsley, Sheriyar, Bichel, Weston.