GRAEME Hick is looking forward to a successful tour of Sri Lanka with England - and then returning to New Road to link up again with his old pal Tom Moody.

"Hopefully, Tom will give me a few days off when I get back," smiled Hick as he looked ahead to Worcestershire's 2001 season which opens on Friday, April 20, with a County Championship Division Two match against Middlesex at Lord's.

By the time the County's star batsman returns for the new campaign Moody will be in full flow as the club's recently appointed Director of Cricket following the departure of coach Bill Athey.

Hick said: "A lot has happened since the end of last season. The club has made decisions they obviously felt necessary and we have to move on from there.

"I think everyone is waiting for Tom to get here so we can see what he wants to do as a coach and as a Director of Cricket.

"Tom's a friend of mine, as is Bill, and he's coming here to do a job and everyone will knuckle down and get on with it."

Hick, however, believes the County have the capability of bouncing back from last season's disappointments - but it's going to take time and a lot of hard work.

He said: "It's gone a full circle for me really. The first year I came here I think we were second from bottom in the table and it's now up to us as players and people at the club to make the right decisions, put in the performances and start trying to climb up again."

Thirty four-year-old Hick be-lieves the young up-and-coming players among the New Road ranks hold the key for the County.

"There are a few youngsters about, but we need some really strong performances from them now. There are only a few of us old ones left and by the time we come to go we want them to be performing regularly, if not kicking us out of the side.

"There's plenty of work for all of us to do from myself and Tom down to the guys who are joining in the Academy side. That's what the future of Worcestershire lies in."

Hick, however, is well aware that the absence of Australian pace ace Glenn McGrath at New Road this year is a major blow.

"I felt sorry for him in a way last year because you couldn't have asked for more of him. I thought he was a great performer and a lovely bloke. He had a lot of time for everyone. Come the second half of the season, though, I think we didn't back him up and we let him down a bit really because on the back of what he did we should have done better."

For the time being, however, the County are having to take a back seat for Hick who flies out tomorrow on England's tour of Sri Lanka.

Since returning from Pakistan last month he has enjoyed his Christmas and New Year break before getting back into training.

He said: "I enjoyed Christmas, my parents came over. My wife Jackie flew them over as a surprise for me. They had not been over here at Christmas time while our kids have been growing up.

"I was in the kitchen and then the next thing was my dad walked in. That was on Decem-ber 22, so that was a lovely surprise.

"We got Christmas and New Year out of the way and since then I've been training pretty hard and dashing around sorting out things to do with our new house."