Rhodes has had to juggle his budget to bring players in

Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes says most overseas players and agents seem to have realised that counties are not flush with money.

The midlands county have signed overseas duo Damien Wright and Saeed Ajmal this week.

Rhodes told BBC Hereford and Worcester: "The players are not demanding the sort of wages they would have done a year or two years ago.

"It's a refection of how tough everything is for the clubs."

He added: "We have done a sensible deal with our overseas players, deals we can afford."

Rhodes says the lure of County Championship Division One has also been a factor in signing players.

"If he is going to prove his worth in county cricket I am sure Saeed would much rather do it in the first division," he said.

"I think there was also an attraction to Worcestershire because of Imran Khan's involvement here in the past.

"He is a legend to a lot of Pakistan cricketers, and him growing up in Worcester and going to the Grammar School is something these guys will have read about when they were younger."

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