STEVE Rhodes says Worcestershire wicketkeeper Ben Cox has the potential to push for England recognition after praising his performances behind the stumps and with the bat.

Cox had an outstanding 2015 campaign, finishing as the County's second highest run-scorer behind Tom Fell in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship and also having an 88% success rate with catches taken.

He has carried on in the same vein during 2016 and shown a consistency in all departments of his game which belies his 24 years.

Director of cricket Rhodes said: "I'm delighted with Ben. Again he is showing the consistency with the gloves of a player that normally comes when you are about 30.

"His percentage of catches he makes compared with the drops is incredibly high and credit to the work he has put in.

"He is a terrific gloveman and, added to that, he is a very dangerous batter.

"He has been solid in the four-day games. He has often been the person that has stopped the rot of a collapse and got us out of a hole.

"Then with that knock against Northants at New Road in the T20 he showed what he can do in one-day cricket towards the end of an innings."

Rhodes added: "Is he someone who can push for international honours? Definitely. He is a guy, simply because of the assets he does have, has the potential to play at the next level.

"But the ball is in his court for that. He knows he can only do that through performances, through consistent batting and wicket-keeping performances.

"The good thing for Worcestershire is he is putting in match-winning performances."

Cox made his first-team debut at 17 but has had to fight off several challengers before establishing himself in his current role at New Road.

Rhodes said: "Fair credit to Ben. He has pushed off a lot of contenders. We've purposefully put a lot of hurdles in his way over his development.

"That might sound a little bit harsh but it was to make him work really, really hard and that is what he's done.