Lategan learning on the job - Richardson
Teenage Worcestershire batter Daniel Lategan is impressively learning on the job says head coach Alan Richardson.
Daniel Lategan averages 39. 18 from his 11 County Championship innings and has scored three half-centuries [Getty Images] Worcestershire head coach Alan Richardson says up-and-coming opening batter Daniel Lategan is "learning on the job" and can only get better after a promising start to his first-class career. The 19-year-old South-Africa born left-hander is the Pears' leading run-scorer after the first block of six matches in the second division of the County Championship with 431 runs at an average of 39.
In 11 innings, he has notched three half-centuries plus innings of 49, 48 and two scores in the 30s. He scored 53 and 48 in Worcestershire's draw against Lancashire, facing bowlers including England great Jimmy Anderson. Having seen off Anderson and with the Pears aiming to bat the game out for a draw, Lategan was out caught behind off Paul Coughlin two runs short of his second half-century of the match having spent 40 overs and nearly three hours at the crease.
"He's very frustrated that he got out in the way that he did," Richardson said. "I think he's done really well again, and he's gaining experience the whole time and developing his skill sets. "In his very brief career, he's faced some fine bowlers and obviously no more so than Jimmy, who's a world-class operator still, so for him to get through that and play as well as he did it's something that he should really take some heart from and hopefully it'll continue evolving in his journey.
" Pears sign Zimbabwe T20 captain Raza for Blast Pakistan spinner Mir set for Worcestershire return Lategan is a product of Worcestershire's academy pathway having played his formative cricket in South Africa. After finishing with the development programme at New Road, he mixed casual work at the club's bar with some trial games for the second XI and eventually earned a three-year contract in July 2025, off the back of some strong performances. Lategan, on the Worcestershire books as an overseas player, qualifies to play for England in 2028.