Worcestershire seamer Ben Allison has signed a new three-year contract that keeps him at New Road until at least 2029. The club announced the deal on Saturday, 31 October, five weeks after the 26-year-old produced the best figures of his career against Derbyshire: 6-42 in the first innings and 11-64 in the match.
Allison came to Worcestershire from Essex, first on loan and then on a permanent contract. He has played 50 times for the Pears across all formats. In first-class cricket he has taken 88 wickets for the club at an average of 25.5, with four five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket match.
The new deal replaces the three-year contract he signed in September 2024, which would have expired at the end of the 2027 season.
From loan signing to leader of the attack
Allison was born in Colchester. He played for Essex from 2019, though he made his first-class debut on loan at Gloucestershire against Derbyshire in August of that year. At Chelmsford he found it hard to get regular first-team cricket in a strong pace attack.
He first joined Worcestershire on loan in September 2023, for the run-in to the season. He played three games in that spell, and the side sealed promotion back to Division One of the County Championship. A short second loan followed in 2024. That September he agreed to join permanently from the start of the 2025 season.
He has since become a regular in both red-ball and white-ball cricket. In 2025 he helped the Worcestershire Rapids win the Metro Bank One Day Cup and finished as the competition’s leading wicket-taker, with 19. He has 42 white-ball wickets for the county in total.
His best spell came in Worcestershire’s final Rothesay County Championship Division Two match of 2026, against Derbyshire. Derbyshire were bowled out for 88 and 157, and Worcestershire won by 175 runs. Earlier in the summer he made a career-best first-class score of 89 against Middlesex.
“I have absolutely loved my time here so far, since landing on loan from Essex and then staying on permanently, it feels fantastic to be able to call this place home for another three years,” Allison said.
“I feel like I have always been a player that when I play more, I get better, and I think that has been shown over the last couple of years, so long may that continue.”
Why Worcestershire moved early
Allison still had a year left on his contract, so the club did not have to act yet. Signing him now means Worcestershire avoid going into 2027 with one of their main bowlers able to talk to other counties.
Head coach Alan Richardson highlighted Allison’s partnership with Tom Taylor in red-ball cricket.
“Ben is someone who has grown into a really important figure within our side, both as a bowler but also as someone showing a real maturity to his game,” Richardson said.
“He has stepped up to form a really formidable and consistent partnership with Tom Taylor in red ball cricket and is a quality operator at the top for us and his numbers in four-day cricket show just how valuable he is for the team.”
Richardson also pointed to Allison’s batting and fielding. The club describes him as one of the side’s most valued slip fielders.
- Appearances for Worcestershire: 50 across all formats
- First-class wickets for the Pears: 88 at 25.5
- Best bowling: 6-42 (innings), 11-64 (match) v Derbyshire, 2026
- Highest first-class score: 89 v Middlesex, 2026
- White-ball wickets for the club: 42, including 19 in the 2025 One Day Cup win
What comes next
Worcestershire’s aim is to win promotion from Division Two. Allison’s last appearance of 2026, a ten-wicket win by a big margin, showed what he can do when conditions suit him.
Bowlers with a lot of first-class overs behind them are in short supply in the county game. Counties also have to manage workloads across the Championship, the One Day Cup and the T20 Blast. Keeping a 26-year-old seamer who averages in the mid-20s for the Pears in first-class cricket gives Richardson a settled new-ball option through the 2029 season.
“The exciting part about seeing Ben re-sign is that there is a lot more to come from him moving forward,” Richardson said. “He is one of the most popular members of the dressing room and is a huge character, so I am really happy to see him commit to Worcestershire.”
Allison said the squad has bigger goals. “We have plenty of ambitions as a group and I want to play a big part in achieving those goals, so it is a really exciting time.”
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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