ALAN Richardson hopes his Worcestershire CCC side will ‘come back stronger’ from their defeat against Durham.
The Pears have lost three of their first four County Championship Division One matches this season.
Worcestershire looked well-placed to claim a first win against Durham only for a second innings collapse to see the Pears slip to a six-wicket defeat.
That came after the Pears lost by 28 runs against Essex and by 504 runs at Yorkshire.
And Richardson insists only hard work will help Worcestershire turn their season around.
Richardson said: “The answer is hard work.
“But I don’t doubt the players’ work ethic, it’s outstanding. We have very strong values within our team, and it’s vital that we keep trusting those.
“The players have the skills, they just need to continue believing in themselves and committing to the way we want to play.
“There’s no magic wand. It’s about sticking together through the difficult times, learning the lessons, and coming back stronger.”
Worcestershire managed 81 all out in their second innings against Durham at New Road and sit bottom of the Division One standings.
However, Richardson insists he trusts his players completely and believes better times will come for the Pears later in the season.
Richardson added: “When you play cricket, or any sport, you sign up for tough moments. They are part and parcel of the journey.
“It’s about working hard together and trusting that better times will come.
“Of course, it’s difficult to recover from that kind of start. When you’re not getting big performances, confidence can be hard to come by.
“But we encourage the players to draw confidence from their skills and the work they put in, not just from results. That’s easier said than done, but as a support staff we back them completely.
“Ultimately, I trust the players to assess the situation and back their decision-making. It didn’t quite work out for us this time.”
Worcestershire are next in action against Sussex on Friday, May 9 with the game to start at 11am at the County Ground.
