WORCESTERSHIRE have received an early season boost with Moeen Ali available to play in one Specsavers County Championship and three Royal London One-Day Cup matches.

The England all-rounder will face Northamptonshire in the County's first home four-day match of the season from April 21 to 24.

Then the 29-year-old will feature in the Rapids 50 over clash with visiting Notts Outlaws who will have England trio Alex Hales, Stuart Broard and Jake Ball available to play - on April 27.

Moeen is also available for the away One-Day Cup games with Leicestershire Foxes (April 30) and Northamptonshire Steelbacks (May 3).

All the England players - with the exception of those given permission to play in the IPL - will be in action for their counties during the first part of the 2017 campaign.

But four of them in Moeen, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ball will miss their counties’ opening Championship matches after especially busy winters, and with England’s schedule for the summer of 2017 and beyond in mind.

Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes is delighted to be able to call upon the services of Moeen.

Last season Moeen played three early season Championship games and averaged 91, including 136 against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Rhodes said: "He will play a Championship game and play three one-dayers. That is better than we thought.

"We are going to have seven days cricket out of him and he is such a boost to us because he is such a well liked and popular member of the dressing room when he does come back.

"He is a lot of fun and there is a lot of respect for him. It will great to help him along and try and get him in some white ball form for the Champions Trophy."

Eight players - Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes – are unavailable to their counties in the early weeks of the season having signed to play in the IPL.