WORCESTERSHIRE bowler Jack Shantry has set his sights on completing a hat-trick of 50 County Championship wickets in a season.

The 28-year-old has reached the milestone for the past two summers and opened his account with a four-wicket haul in the Division Two draw with Gloucestershire at Bristol.

But Shantry admits the effects of the non-toss rule could make life harder for the seamers this term.

Visiting captains can choose to insert the home side if they wish.

“It’s going to flatten out pitches,” said Shantry.

“The new rule was brought in to stop teams preparing green pitches and then gambling on winning the toss, so it’s a good move for the game.

“You want games to be played on good pitches and prepare players for Test match cricket.

“My only worry is we could play on pitches that are too flat and don’t do anything for the seam bowlers.”

Shantry claimed 57 wickets at 25.08 in 2015 and only seven players in Division One took more scalps than him.

“If we get to August/September and there’s a high amount of draws, the fans may say the competition is not as entertaining as it used to be,” he said.

“It’s an experiment and it’s going to bring spin bowlers more into the game, which was one of the ECB directives when they brought in the rule.

“As a seamer, the change will make life a little more difficult. It’s something that will be for the good of the game, however, and every team have the same rules.”

Shantry claimed 45 wickets at 26.28 in 2013, including a haul of 7-69 against Essex.

He was outstanding in 2014, taking 56 wickets at 23.95, and played a key role in Worcestershire’s promotion.

Shantry is eyeing up another 50-wicket summer after grabbing 4-89 against Gloucestershire.

“As a seamer, you are trying to take 50 wickets in a season, which I have done for the last two years,” said Shantry.

“Taking 50 wickets again this season will be an aim as well as performing well in white-ball cricket.

“Last season was very disappointing to get relegated but as a side we will fight back.”

With the arrival of New Zealand bowler Matt Henry and the continued development of Joe Clarke and Ross Whiteley, Shantry believes there’s plenty to get excited about at New Road.

“We lack a little experience but we can turn that into a positive thing,” he said.

“We have got young players who can go and play a fearless brand of cricket and people like Joe and Ross, who were on the England Lions tours in the winter.

“We have been bolstered by the arrival of Matt, who adds firepower to the bowling attack, and we have Mitchell Santner coming as an all-rounder.

“We have a very young squad who are eager to show we deserve to be pushing to get back into Division One.”