SOMERSET'S pre-season campaign kicks off next week - with an extra warm-up match having been added to their schedule.

They will welcome Worcestershire to the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, for a two-day match on Thursday and Friday, March 18-19.

This follows the news that the Combined National Counties fixture (against players from Cornwall, Devon and Dorset) would not be going ahead as planned, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry said: “When it became apparent that we would be unable to facilitate the Combined National Counties fixture, we made it clear that we would be looking to schedule an alternative pre-season game.

“It is important that the players experience competitive matches against quality opposition in the build-up to the start of the new season, and I would like to thank Worcestershire County Cricket Club for agreeing to be our opposition over the course of the two days.

"I am sure that it is a fixture that will be beneficial to both sets of players and coaches.”

Next week's Worcestershire match will be followed by pre-season games against Gloucestershire (March 23-24, then two T20s on March 25), Worcestershire again (March 29-31) and Glamorgan (April 2-4).

Somerset open their 2021 County Championship campaign away to Middlesex on Thursday, April 8.

Two days before that, Somerset's 2nd XI begin their Second XI Championship season at home to Glamorgan, at Taunton Vale, on Tuesday, April 6.

The full 2nd XI fixtures can be seen here.

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THE Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was suspended last week due to a spate of Covid-19 cases among players and support staff, is to resume in June 2021.

That date places it between the Pakistan international side's tours of South Africa and England, but it is unknown how many overseas players would be available.

Tom Abell, Tom Banton and Lewis Gregory were all signed to play in the PSL this year, but they are scheduled to be playing for Somerset in the Vitality Blast in June.