WORCESTERSHIRE are set to play Derbyshire and Middlesex as part of their second pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi in March.

The United Arab Emirates’ national side are being lined up as the other likely opposition for the county during the 10-day trip.

The itinerary and opposition in each of the formats are expected to be confirmed by mid-January.

Worcestershire played New Zealand, Derbyshire, Holland and Ireland in their previous visit to Abu Dhabi.

County chief executive David Leatherdale said: “It is certainly Derbyshire and Middlesex at the moment and probably the UAE.

“The plan is to play two T20 games, two 50-over games and a two-day game of red-ball cricket against UAE, Derbyshire or Middlesex.

“It is strong and attractive opposition, good quality cricket and good facilities. That was one of the strengths we had in going last March when we played New Zealand, Derbyshire, Holland and Ireland.

“I certainly feel it helped after having the bad weather of January and February to be able to get out on grass.

“With the young lads, it was beneficial in terms of the team-building element.

“There were a lot of young guys who came through and the players came back and hit the ground running.

“There were also a couple of lessons learnt in terms of the New Zealand game being an eye-opener with the quality of the opposition.

“It showed the standards the lads needed to achieve.”