WORCESTERSHIRE’S Alan Richardson says it is a ‘massive honour’ to be nominated for the Professional Cricketers’ Association NatWest Player of the Year award but is unsure whether he can make the ceremony.

The 36-year-old bowler, who took 73 wickets in this season’s LV= County Championship, is on a four-man shortlist with Durham’s Dale Benkenstein, Essex’s David Masters and Somerset captain Marcus Trescothick.

The winner of this year’s award will be named on Thursday at the PCA’s annual dinner.

But Richardson admitted: “I’m going on holiday on Friday so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go to the dinner. Maybe I’ll sneak off early so that I can go.

“But it is a massive honour to have been nominated by your fellow players — it is fantastic.”

Richardson shouldered a lot of the Worcestershire bowling this season, getting through more than 663 overs, and the former Middlesex player said that was a major factor in helping get his wickets.

“I don’t like fielding so when I’m asked if I want to carry on bowling, I’ll say yes 99.9 per cent of the time,” he smiled.

“My aim at the start of the season was just to get through the overs so the opportunity was there for me to get the wickets.”

Richardson’s efforts were a major factor in Worcestershire maintaining their top-flight status for the first time since the championship was split into two divisions in 2000.