WORCESTERSHIRE all-rounder Gareth Andrew admits he relishes the responsibility of being a senior player at New Road.

Despite being only 29-years-old, the former Somerset player is one of the more experienced campaigners at the club.

With Andrew’s contract due to expire at the end of this season, the County’s decision-makers acted quickly to tie him down to a new two-year deal, as well as signing batsman Moeen Ali up for another five years at the same time.

Veteran seamer Alan Richardson turned 38 on Monday, but the Worcestershire squad is otherwise relatively lacking in first-class experience and Andrew is eager to help fill that void.

“The club are looking to secure some of the senior players,” said Andrew. “We have a great range of youth in the squad, but we are a bit lacking in senior players after several left in recent years.

“The club have put their confidence in me to sign for another two years and for Mo to sign for five more, which will take us both through to 31 and hopefully settles the side for a little bit longer and we need that experience.

“I wouldn’t see myself as a senior player at 29, but within this squad I am.

“Things have changed a lot here in the last few years, so we need to make sure the experience we have here can pull the youth through.”

Andrew added: “It was something I’d been thinking about for a long time, but I enjoy playing at Worcester and I’m looking forward to the next two years.

"I was quite taken aback to be asked to re-sign early in the season, I decided on another two years and hopefully I’ll still be in a position at 31 to have a lot of cricket left in me, whether that is to stay for a longer period or look elsewhere.

“I think it is good for Mo and I as players that the club got our contracts sorted out early, so we can now settle down, look forward to the season and make sure we keep churning out performances in all forms.”

A major knee operation before the start of last season set Andrew back, but his confidence continues to grow and that has been evidenced in his bowling this term.

He said: “My knee is forever getting stronger, but I still have to do work on it because once you’re into a season and it’s five or six-days-a-week of pounding yourself into the ground, there’s only so much gym work you can do.

“We try and do as much work in the gym and with the physio that we can, even on batting and bowling days, as we make early starts from 8.30am, so it is just building up the confidence as my body continues to recover.

“I have not got the amount of runs I’d have liked so far this season, but we’ve been in a few sticky situations.

“As a bowling unit — apart from the loose first session that set up the game at Hampshire — we have done brilliantly well, we’ve just not had much luck with the conditions.”