Worcestershire are getting a boost of energy ahead of the season finale with the return of Logan van Beek, who will replace the injured Nathan Smith for the final four Vitality County Championship matches. The Dutch international is back at Visit Worcestershire New Road for the final four Vitality County Championship matches of the season, beginning with Thursday's trip to face Essex at Chelmsford. 

Van Beek had a successful spell with Worcestershire at the tail-end of last season, helping them reach the quarter-finals of the Metro Bank One Day Cup and gain promotion to Division One of the County Championship. The 33-year-old arrived in England on Monday and was a popular figure in the dressing room and with members and supporters. 

Worcestershire all-rounder Joe Leach is expecting the Pears to get a new burst of life following the signing of Logan van Beek for the season finale. Leach expects the return of the Dutch international to Visit Worcestershire New Road to provide a vital injection of energy for the final four Vitality County Championship matches, which began with the trip to take on Essex at Chelmsford. 

Last year, van Beek had a successful stint with Worcestershire, helping them reach the quarter-finals of the Metro Bank One Day Cup and secure promotion to Division One of the County Championship. Leach said: "It is terrific to have Logan back. Last year, when he came at a similar time, he brought a lot of energy to the group. We know he’s got obvious qualities that he first brought to Derbyshire and then to us last year." 

The 33-year-old quickly became a popular figure among the team and supporters after arriving at the Pears. Leach said: "Really looking forward to having him back. He fits into the changing room well, and his energy is infectious. At the end of a long season, to have someone of his character and nature is really good for a dressing room just to give us a bit of a boost." 

Van Beek comes in at an opportune time, having just wrapped up a fruitful stint as the leading wicket-taker in the Max60 T10 championship in the Caribbean. He claimed 14 wickets in nine games over six days, averaging 12.85 to qualify for the Super Three knockout stages. His most notable performance was a 3-16 return against Boca Raton Trailblazers. 

Worcestershire are also pleased with the contribution from newly signed New Zealand pace bowler James Hartshorn in the Championship win over Kent. Head Coach Alan Richardson expressed his ambitions for the rest of the season, saying: "Our task now in the remaining four games is to try and hit those standards as much as we can for as long as we can. But every game in Division One is really difficult, no more so than going to Essex on their patch." 

He also emphasized the need for adaptability in different conditions, explaining: "One of the beauties of English county cricket is we get to play on all types of different surfaces and then you add in a slightly different ball as well, and it’s what helps cricketers evolve and get better. They are not playing the same game time and time again. They are having to think on their feet and plan ahead accordingly and all those sort of scenarios that change from game to game." 

Van Beek, thrilled at the prospect of a second spell with Worcestershire, said: "My short stint with Worcestershire was very enjoyable last year and made a lasting impression on me, so I jumped at the opportunity to represent the Three Pears once again. I want to come and give the guys a boost of energy and finish the season on a high." 

Van Beek arrives at New Road in good form with the ball after finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the Max60 T10 competition in the Caribbean. He picked up 14 wickets in nine games – played in the space of six days – at an average of 12.85 to help the Jaguars qualify for the Super Three knockout stages. Van Beek's best return was 3-16 against Boca Raton Trailblazers, but he also had figures of 2-9, 2-11 and twice 2-24. His team-mates included Alex Hales, Jake Lintott, Saif Zaib, Ross Whiteley and former Worcestershire pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan. 

The New Zealander also expressed excitement about playing alongside Joe Leach before he hangs up his spikes. He said: "I am looking forward to bowling alongside the legend that is Joe Leach in his last few games for the club. His statistics speak for themselves but his passion for Worcestershire in unmatched. He plays with his heart and his soul, and that is the kind of team-mate I absolutely love playing with." 

Leach said: "It is terrific to have Logan back. Last year, when he came at a similar time, he brought a lot of energy to the group. We know he’s got obvious qualities that he first brought to Derbyshire and then to us last year. Really looking forward to having him back. He fits into the changing room well, and his energy is infectious. At the end of a long season, to have someone of his character and nature is really good for a dressing room just to give us a bit of a boost. Also, he brings that confidence of having a bit more quality on the park. We know what he can do. He helped us last year, and hopefully, he can do the same this year." 

Van Beek has been featured in 33 ODIs and 31 T20Is for the Netherlands. He had a previous spell of county cricket with Derbyshire in 2019, when he played nine Championship matches. He moved from Canterbury to play for Wellington in 2016-2017 and has featured alongside Smith for several seasons in New Zealand. 

The team is also welcoming back Surrey spinner Amar Virdi on loan for the remainder of the season. Virdi will be available for the final four Vitality County Championship matches beginning with Thursday’s encounter with Essex at Chelmsford. 

Virdi will be in contention to play a fuller part in the final month of the campaign after bolstering the Worcestershire attack alongside the signing of New Zealand pace bowler James Hartshorn for the last five Championship games. 

Virdi has taken 123 first class wickets in 42 matches at an average of 30.71 with a career best performance of 8-61 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2019. 

The 26-year-old had a one match loan spell at Visit Worcestershire New Road earlier in the campaign and played in the victory over Durham at Seat Unique Riverside in early July. 

Chiswick-born Virdi played for England Under-19s and has been part of England training squads for various international series. His last Championship appearance for Surrey was in 2021 although he played four matches in last summer’s Metro Bank One Day Cup. 

Worcestershire Head Coach Alan Richardson is delighted to further strengthen the squad after signing New Zealand pace bowler James Hartshorn for the remainder of the season. He said: "Really happy that Surrey have enabled us to make that happen. They have a very strong squad with a slightly different balance with five seamers and use players like Cameron Steel, Will Jacks and Dan Lawrence as their spinners. There is an opportunity for Virds to come and play for us which we are really excited about. He came in for the Durham game but unfortunately didn’t have the chance to bowl because of the conditions. But we know we’ve got someone who is a quality spinner who hasn’t had many opportunities. There is obviously a gap in our squad when it comes to spin so it feels like he is a really good fit for us having already been with us. It is real important for us to have that balance. We go to Chelmsford next and historically it has helped a spinner at times so it will be good to have him in the squad for that. Nice to have him in the squad and able to pick him when needed, and I’m sure he will be. It is great we have got additions to the squad and to have little bit of depth and not be dictated in terms of what the 11 is going to be." 

Worcestershire Head Coach Alan Richardson said: “Really pleased to be getting Logan back. He started with us last year and helped us get promoted. First and foremost, we are getting someone who has shown his skills over the last couple of years, and we were lucky enough to benefit from that at the end of last year. It’s really unfortunate for Nathan, with his injury, that he had to cut short on his journey with us, which no doubt will continue. But Logan comes in and does a similar job, I guess, in terms of what he can provide for us. We also know what sort of character we are getting. He certainly knows what he is getting into as well, being a Worcestershire player previously. Hopefully, we will be part of us being really competitive going into these last set of games. What we know with Logan, apart from the character, is that we are going to get a three-dimensional cricketer. He is someone who is whole-hearted with the ball, who will put in some incredible shifts, and with the bat, he values his wicket highly but also can be really expansive, and you’ve got a very enthusiastic and highly skilled fielder. We knew from the conversations we had in and around Nathan that he brings a lot of energy to us, and he didn’t disappoint with that, and the expectations will be the same. We started on April 5, and it’s been a long old battle, so to have him coming in for the last month is really important for us.”