Who is the captain?

Vikram Solanki, 32. Suffered along with his team last season, averaging 32.45 in the championship. Tactically had his hands tied with only Kabir Ali to bowl fast

Who are the overseas players?

Steve Magoffin (Australia), 28, whose 35 wickets at 25.48 for Western Australia over the winter augur rather better than his displays for Surrey at the start of last season. Fidel Edwards (West Indies), 26, will arrive in July to try to rebuild his career. Cameron White, the Australia all-rounder, is being targeted for the Twenty20

Who has arrived?

Gareth Andrew (Somerset), Chris Whelan (Middlesex), Simon Jones (Glamorgan)

Who has left?

Roger Sillence, Dewald Nel, Stuart Wedge, Shaftab Khalid (all released), Ray Price (Zimbabwe), Nadeem Malik (Leicestershire)

What has the IPL/ICL done to them?

Solanki became the fourth county captain to play in the ICL, for the Mumbai Champs, before Christmas. Mooted action by the ECB never transpired, but his England hopes may have gone

What is their nickname?

Royals

How did they fare last season?

LV County Championship: 9th, first division; NatWest Pro40: winners, first division; Friends Provident Trophy: 4th, North conference; Twenty20 Cup: quarter-finals. Worcestershire looked to be drowning even before the rains came on June 13, the last day that they played at their New Road ground. The county put the final cost of the floods at £1.164 million. In defiance they won the Pro40, their first title in 13 seasons

What are their prospects?

Promotion in the championship is a possibility

What are their strengths?

As in 2006, their bowling has real potential to bowl sides out twice

What are their weaknesses?

They are still too reliant on Graeme Hick, comfortably their best batsman last season

One to watch

For promise Moeen Ali, but all eyes will be on Simon Jones (above). Worcestershire made a large gamble in signing him for two years