Jake Libby moves to Worcestershire on three-year contract

The 26-year-old slipped down the Trent Bridge pecking order in 2019, averaging just 18.90 from five County Championship appearances

Worcestershire have announced their third new signing in three days as former Nottinghamshire batsman Jake Libby joins the county on a three-year contract.

Libby, 26, had struggled to secure a place in the Trent Bridge side during 2019, with a first-innings 77 against Somerset in July his only score above 25 in five County Championship outings.

However, the Plymouth-born opener had previously experienced a strong run in the first-class game, becoming the county's first player in 68 years to hit a on his Trent Bridge debut against Sussex in 2014.

Upon his return from a fruitful five-game spring loan at Northamptonshire in 2016, Libby went on to feature in every Championship match until the end of 2018, tallying 2,046 runs at 28.81 across the three seasons.

"I've hugely enjoyed my time with at Trent Bridge and will forever be grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to prove myself as a professional cricketer," Libby said.

"Working with the coaching staff and alongside the calibre of batsmen at Notts has definitely allowed me to progress and mature as a cricketer.

"After five years, I feel the time is right to move into a new phase of my career and take on a fresh challenge."

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News of Libby's recruitment for the 2020 season follows that of Australian short-form batsman Ashton Turner and academy seamer Mitchell Stanley earlier this week.

It is believed that Worcestershire fought off interest from other counties in signing Libby, who made his One-Day Cup debut and averaged 28.33 across three T20 Blast knocks this summer.

"Jake has been a valued member of our setup and someone who has worked tirelessly on his game throughout his time at Trent Bridge," added Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores.

"There's been some exceptional performances to remember and some tough times as well. He's remained very positive throughout; always a pleasure to coach and to have around the group.

"With Jake having expressed a desire to join Worcestershire, we have agreed for him to leave and we wish him all the best with the next chapter.

"It creates a place in the squad for another top-order batsman, to which we'll look to recruit with red-ball cricket primarily in mind."

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