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GRAEME Hick and Kabir Ali will both miss tomorrow's Friends Provident Trophy South/West Division clash against Hampshire Hawks at New Road (12pm).

Hick has been missing for the past fortnight following a minor elbow operation and it was hoped the batsman would be fit for this match.

However, Worcestershire's director of cricket Steve Rho-des has given the 41-year-old extra time to recover in a bid to be ready for Wednesday's home Championship match against Gloucestershire.

Seamer Kabir also misses out after straining his hamstring at Northampton last weekend and he too is now looking at a Wednesday comeback.

Rhodes has named the same squad that beat Glamorgan Dragons on Bank Holiday Monday by seven wickets.

Simon Jones, having made his home debut for the Royals in that match, will be looking to give the Worcestershire faithful another opportunity to see him in action against a county who tried to persuade the Welshman to go to them instead of New Road after deciding to leave Glamorgan.

Young Mehraj Ahmed is likely to keep his place in the starting XI after making his one-day debut on Monday and his first-class bow at Kidder-minster on Wednesday.

In the three-day match against Loughborough UCCE, the 19-year-old seamer showed good pace and variation.

The Hawks will head to New Road with former County target Shane Bond in their squad.

The Kiwi, who turned down a move to Worcestershire in the winter as he did not want to be away from his family for the full season, signed a two-month deal at the Rose Bowl replacing Shane Warne as the County's overseas' player.

Worcestershire Royals: Solanki (capt), Davies (wkt), Moeen, Smith, Moore, Mitchell, Batty, Andrew, Magoffin, Mehraj, Whelan.

9:15am Saturday 10th May 2008

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