The Sunderland-born seamer – who’s taken 669 career First Class wickets – made the perfect start to life as a Bear in 2023 as 53 scalps put him among the deadliest marksmen in Division One.
But the 38-year-old suffered a back injury in the second game of the campaign last April against Durham.
‘Rushy’ returned in late August for the red ball run-in but the injury restricted him to just six games and 13 wickets.
It was a hugely frustrating summer for Rushworth – but he’s hit the gym hard this winter and aims to be in the best possible condition ahead of the season opener against Sussex on April 4.
“Last year was a tough pill to swallow,” said Rushworth. “I missed more cricket last year than in the previous 15 seasons combined.
“I relocated to Warwickshire to play cricket. The fact I couldn’t was hard. When you’re around the team, you want to play your part.
“As a result I’ve trained a lot differently this winter. Funnily enough, increasing my load and gym work. You might think you’d go easier in pre-season after injury, but I’m going the other way. More loading, trying to get stronger to prevent injury. Hopefully it’ll work.
“I’ve enjoyed it. Usually I’d go home, spend winter in the North East, but I’ve been doing a lot of work with the Strength & Conditioning (S&C) team at Edgbaston. And I feel a lot stronger.
“As I’m getting closer to 40 I need to do as much as a I can to make sure I’m playing next year. I want to be on the park for as long as possible. I’m still as hungry as ever to take wickets.”
Rushworth – who’s taken 50-plus wickets on seven occasions in a Championship season – says his sole focus is the 2025 County Championship and to help Warwickshire challenge for the title.
“I’m not looking beyond that at the moment,” he added. “I’m coming up to my 16th year as a professional. I want to help Warwickshire win a few games of cricket, get us up there fighting in the Championship. That’ll be a pretty good year.
“I’m not quite ready to finish just yet. So hopefully the hard work pays off, and all the time in the gym, lifting weights, means I’ll be firing fit for the full season.”
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