WORCESTERSHIRE legend Norman Gifford has just celebrated his 75th birthday but he’s lost none of his love and enthusiasm for the sport.

Gifford is still actively involved as the County’s part-time spin bowling coach and has been offering his advice and experience to players in the New Road nets.

“When I moved back to the area from Sussex four years ago, Steve Rhodes asked me whether I would do some work with the young spinners and I have been involved ever since,” he said.

“I really enjoy it. It’s good fun and there’s a good set of boys and I do quite a bit with the spinners and the academy boys.”

Gifford is able to impart an incredible amount of knowledge to the likes of Shaaiq Choudhry, Brett D’Oliveira, Moeen Ali and Ben Twohig.

“I played most my career at Worcester and it is the club I call home,” said Gifford, who took 33 wickets in 15 Test matches for England.

“After I stopped playing, I coached in Sussex for a quite a while and then in Durham and a few other things. But I have always been involved in cricket right from my playing days.

“When we moved back up to Per - shore, it was a nice surprise to get a call from Steve Rhodes. When Steve asked me if I would do some work I was delighted.”

Gifford, a left-arm spinner in his playing days, made his Worcestershire debut in 1960 and the follow - ing year enjoyed his most prolific season with 133 first class wickets.

He was a key member of the 1964 Championship winning side - when he again topped the 100 wicket mark and that summer made his Test de but in the Ashes.

He helped Worces - tershire to retain the Championship in 1965 and then in 1971 earned a Test recall after a seven-year absence in place of Kent’s Derek Underwood.

He had graduated to being Worcestershire captain by the time of the third Championship title in 1974.

Gifford played his last Test in 1973 but at the age of 44 made his ODI de - but in 1984 and skippered England against Australia and Pakistan.

Gifford continued to play for Warwickshire into his late forties, and when he retired from playing at the age of 48 in 1988, he had taken 2,068 first-class wickets.

“When you’ve gone through a career, you learn a lot and have all sort of different experiences,” said Gifford, a level three-qualified coach.

“You know what’s going to be in front of young lads who are starting out.

“I like to watch them play and see how they are doing and talk to them afterwards about how they’ve bowled, the field placings and all the different aspects of the game.

“We have got quite a few young spinners on the academy and the staff and the prospects for this county are as good as any in the country.”

Gifford is proud of the County’s on-field achievements over the years and also the development of the New Road ground.

“For for a small county the quality of sides Worcester have had over the years has been really good,” he said.

“Some very high-class players have passed through this club and I like that.

"Worcestershire is also proper cricket ground and people who have been connected with the club over the years can be very proud."