New vice captain Joe Leach says the Worcestershire pace bowlers will benefit from working in tandem with Kyle Abbott and he hopes the South African "can help to take my cricket forward."

Abbott will link up with the County from early July through until the end of the 2016 campaign in late September.

He will bolster last season's regular pace trio of Leach, Jack Shantry and Charlie Morris plus youngster Ed Barnard.

Leach, the County's Players' Player Of The Year, said: "I think he is going to be a brilliant signing for us. We are probably a little bit light on seamer numbers anyway so to get an extra body in is fantastic.

"For the likes of myself, Charlie, we are in mid 20s, it is going to be brilliant to get international experience that we can learn off and take forward. We've probably been left a little bit on our own in that respect.

"Because we've been doing so well, we've had Saeed Ajmal who is a spinner and batters (as overseas players) the last two or three years so it is really nice to get that international experience of people who understand how to bowl.

"I'm hoping the likes of someone like Kyle, and whoever else we get in, will help to take my cricket forward certainly, just to pick their brains if nothing else."

Leach, Worcestershire's leading wicket-taker in the LV = County Championship last summer, added: "He has got a good record in county cricket and that's the thing in Division Two, a proven record is something that is going to be invaluable.

"If he can just help us out, it is going to make us more effective as a bowling group and it will help numbers-wise that we can use people in the right way and at the right times.

"Hopefully we don't have that drop off in late August-September and people are going to be fit and fresh to go all the way through the season which is going to stand us in good stead."