Waiting game for Hick

Ed Joyce has an injured finger and will not feature for Middlesex this week

Worcestershire batsman Graeme Hick may have played his last game of first-class cricket after not being included in the squad to take on Middlesex in Division Two of the LV County Championship.

The retiring batsman is struggling with the elbow injury which he has been suffering with for most of the season and coach Steve Rhodes is unsure if he will be fit to play.

“I don’t think he will play, but we will wait and see,” Rhodes told ecb.co.uk. “If he doesn’t play, Moeen Ali will play and Matt Mason will be 12th man.”

The rest of the squad is unchanged from the one which was due to play Glamorgan at Cardiff last week but did not manage to take the field as all four days were abandoned without a ball bowled.

Middlesex are missing Ed Joyce and Murali Kartik from their first-choice line-up for the visit to Kidderminster.

Joyce has an injured finger, while spinner Kartik is being rested due to a sore ankle which is linked to a previous injury.

Dirk Nannes returns to the championship squad, while there is also a place for young batsman Adam London.

Owais Shah is back from England duty in the NatWest Series and is the natural replacement for Joyce at number three in the batting order.