GEORGE Rhodes is set to make his first senior appearance of the season for Worcestershire in their vital Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash with Kent, starting tomorrow at New Road (11am).

Moeen Ali and John Hastings - plus Rhodes - return to the 11 in place of Tom Fell, Jack Shantry and Nathan Lyon.

Fell and Shantry are playing for the Seconds in a T20 double header at Northamptonshire.

All-rounder Rhodes comes into the side after impressing with bat and ball for the Seconds so far this season.

He is their leading scorer in red ball cricket with 519 runs at an average of 51.90 and has also picked up 13 wickets.

Rhodes initially broke into the first team last season, taking 2-34 on his debut versus Yorkshire Vikings in a televised Royal London One-Day Cup clash at Headingley.

He also played in the NatWest T20 Blast and forced his way into the County Championship side and, against Kent at Canterbury, scored a determined half century in the second innings.

Now Rhodes is to be given another opportunity in a side showing three changes from the last Championship match against Glamorgan at New Road.

Director of cricket Steve Rhodes is impressed with Kent who, like Worcestershire, have also developed some exciting some young talent.

He said: "What they've done is manage to develop some of their own youngsters as well. You look at Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Northeast and Sam Billings, these are very good cricketers.

"Joe Denly has come in and done quite well, Darren Stevens is an evergreen and doesn't seem to let them down at any stage whatsoever.

"Then with the ball, Matt Coles and Darren Stevens himself have been very useful. "They've had reasonable additions in people like Will Gidman and they've got Yasir Shah to bolster the balance of their attack."

Worcestershire: Mitchell, D'Oliveira, Moeen Ali, Clarke, Rhodes, Cox, Whiteley, Barnard, Leach, Hastings, Tongue.