Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington linked with Worcestershire exit

Both Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington, who are out of contract at the end of the 2023 season, are on the wishlist of Division One County Championship side Nottinghamshire according to The Cricketer. 

Josh Tongue is a wanted man across the County Championship since his arrival on the international scene with England in the first two Ashes tests, whilst Pennington, 24, is also a target for Nottinghamshire.

Both players came through the Academy at the club, but the lure of bigger contracts could well be too good to turn down. 

Dillon Pennington is another player who has come through the ranks at Worcestershire (Image: Worcestershire CCC)

George Dobell, Senior Correspondent at The Cricketer, also suggested on Twitter that there could be more outgoings for Worcestershire this summer, with a number of key players also out of contract. 

Reckon 4 or 5 leaving Worcestershire: https://t.co/5VYAWU9gjy

— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) July 4, 2023

Jack Haynes is another player reportedly out of contract at the end of the season and there remains plenty of interest in him.

Jack Haynes is another player born and raised in Worcester (Image: Worcestershire CCC)

Pears' chairman Paul Pridgeon did discuss the ongoing negotiations at the recent Members Forum, admitting that contract talks were proving difficult due to the interest in players from various other counties, many of whom are in Division One.

Clubs can make approaches to players out of contract from June 1 each year and Pridgeon said that one individual at New Road had been approached by no less than 12 counties.

The news has brought about a wider topic of discussion on social media around the cricket hierarchy in England. Some have suggested that the smaller counties should receive some sort of compensation for losing homegrown players to those counties that have bigger finances at their disposal.

Maybe if @SkyCricket bothered to acknowledge Worcestershire's existence it might not happen. The sport is rigged to benefit those at the top. No transfer/compensation, players poached every year and unfair TV deals, amazing we compete as much as we do.

— Tim Cormell (@Tim_Cormell) July 4, 2023

Despite the unsettled nature of contract renewals, Worcestershire remain in a position to gain promotion into Division One this season. They sit fourth in the Division Two table, just eleven points off second-placed Leicestershire. 

Worcestershire are also in T20 Vitality Blast quarter-final action on Friday night for the first time since 2019. They will be hoping to emulate their heroics from 2018 when they go to The Ageas Bowl to face the Hampshire Hawks (7pm start).