Worcestershire teenager Josh Baker fully fit for County Championship start

A stress reaction to the lower back ruled the 19-year-old out of the final two months of the season but he looks set to be available for selection against Derbyshire from April 6

Josh Baker will be available from the start of Worcestershire's County Championship campaign following a stress reaction in his lower back.

The 19-year-old missed much of last August and all of September with the problem, but he avoided having to undergo surgery.

Having spent the winter rehabbing, Baker came through a pre-season training camp in Desert Springs and is braced to return at the start of the new season.

Worcestershire get their 2023 term underway with a Division Two visit to Derbyshire from April 6.

"My back is okay, there is no pain, and I'm already for the new season and looking forward to it," he said.

Baker was a central figure across formats in 2022 before injury struck (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

"I started bowling when I came back after Christmas in the nets at Malvern and have been building it up from there.

"I'm back to my full run-up and, in Desert Springs, got through about 10 overs a day. I'm back to pretty much full tilt.

"It was a bit of a shock and quite upsetting at the time, But I've looked upon it as a little bump in the road and it's good to be back and I'm available to play in the pre-season games."

Baker played the first 10 County Championship matches of 2022, taking 23 wickets via his left-arm spin, and made his T20 debut in the Blast, before injury struck.

In May, he hit the headlines after being dispatched for five consecutive sixes in an over by Ben Stokes in a four-day game against Durham.

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