WORCESTERSHIRE’S Brett D’Oliveira has been included in the MCC side to face Essex in the prestigious annual Champion County Match in Barbados.

The New Road opener had already been named in the ECB North side to face the South in the three-match 50-over series in the Caribbean.

Now he will move from that series and feature in the day-night fixture, regarded as the traditional curtain-raiser to the English county season, between March 27 and 30.

It is the third time in four years Worcestershire has been represented in this fixture.

Opener Daryl Mitchell was called up in 2015 to face Yorkshire after a prolific summer the previous year – and room shared with the then England Test captain Alastair Cook.

Last March, Clarke and keeper Ben Cox were then included against Middlesex.

D’Oliveira enjoyed a successful summer in 2017 in the County Championship, scoring nearly 900 runs, and also impressed with his economical bowling in white ball cricket.

The line-up also includes vastly-experienced all-rounder Paul Collingwood. The 41 year-old has spent the winter with England’s coaching set-up on the Ashes tour and is soon to begin his 22nd year as a professional with Durham.

Collingwood will have great memories of the Kensington Oval, having led England to their first ICC tournament victory on the ground, defeating Australia in 2010 to win the ICC World Twenty20.

MCC Head of Cricket John Stephenson said, “This is a young, talented and exciting team which we’re very much looking forward to seeing take on Essex and gaining exposure to the longer format of day-night cricket.

“This group boasts plenty of experience, not in only county cricket but also with several of the England sides. We are lucky to have Paul Collingwood and Fidel Edwards with us.

Last season’s Champion County match in Abu Dhabi was a dramatic affair as Middlesex defeated MCC by one wicket, overcoming a 153-run first-innings deficit and a hat-trick from Craig Overton.

MCC XI: Daniel Bell-Drummond (c) (Kent), Brett D’Oliveira (Worcestershire), Sam Northeast (Kent), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Delray Rawlins (Sussex), John Simpson (Middlesex), Dom Bess (Somerset), Matt Fisher (Yorkshire), George Garton (Sussex), Fidel Edwards (Hampshire).