TALENTED duo Joe Clarke and Ben Cox have been challenged to make a big impact for Worcestershire this summer.

England Lions batsman Clarke struck more than 1,200 County Championship runs for the club last term.

Cox, 25, is the County’s Mr Reliable and regarded as one of the neatest wicketkeepers on the circuit.

Worcestershire’s director of cricket Steve Rhodes is urging the pair to repeat their success from last term.

Clarke, 20, is one of the most exciting batting talents in the English game and hit five Championship hundreds in his first full season in 2016.

He finished the campaign with a career-best 194 against Derbyshire and represented Lions over the winter.

“I know Joe Leach wants to shed the tag of us being a young team and I understand that but we are still quite young,” said Rhodes.

“You look at the likes of Clarkie now with Lions experience and Cox who has played quite a while and is a wonderful player. Those two should have a big impact.

“We’re hoping to get Charlie Morris back to where he was while young Josh Tongue might make an impact.

“But I haven’t got a crystal ball and a lot of things will go right and a lot will go wrong during the summer so I am afraid it’s a bit of guess work.

“I would like to think a few players will step up and win games which will then help to win trophies.”

Shrewsbury-born Clarke graduated through the national age groups to earn his first Lions call-up for the 2015 series against Pakistan A.

The County academy product took part in the 2014 Under 19s World Cup and played for South Perth in the 2014-15 winter.

“Like a few of our players who have potential to play for England Joe is a wonderful batsman who got 1,000 runs last year in the Championship and was the only person at Worcestershire to achieve that,” said Rhodes.

“If he repeats that this year it would be a heck of an effort because we have two games fewer than last season.

“He’s going through the process of County cricket and Lions cricket as well.

“Joe recognises the only thing he needs to do is to keep churning out runs.

“If he can do that he will push the other middle-order players who England and the Lions have and knock a few of them out of the way.

"It’s all about doing better than your competitors and that’s what Joe is aware of and is capable of doing.”