ROSS Whiteley’s big hitting for Worcestershire Rapids in the NatWest T20 Blast means he is the joint leading six-hitter in the competition for the 2015 season with just finals days at Edgbaston remaining today.

Whiteley, who has recently signed a new four-year contract at New Road, took his tally for the campaign to 29 with his two straight sixes off Liam Dawson during the home quarter-final with Hampshire.

That moved him level with Chris Gayle (Somerset) and Luke Wright (Sussex).

Whiteley hit 11 of those sixes in his sensational innings of 91 not out off 35 balls against Yorkshire Vikings at Headingley.

But the former Derbyshire player, who has also started to make an impact with the bat in the LV= County Championship, has been a consistent threat to opposing bowlers throughout the summer.

Whiteley looks set to remain in joint pole position unless there is another display of explosive hitting from David Willey on finals day for Northants Steelbacks.

He is currently on 21 sixes after smashing 10 in the quarter-final win over Sussex at Hove.

After Whiteley, the other main six-hitters in the T20 Blast for the Rapids have been Moeen Ali with 10 in seven matches at a strike rate of 172.22 and Tom Kohler- Cadmore with 10 in 14 games at a strike rate of 134.19.

Meanwhile, Worcestershire have drawn up a shortlist of players under consideration to be part of the New Road club’s 2015-2016 academy programme.

Eight players are being considered for possible inclusion after coming under the radar of academy coach Elliot Wilson and County coaches during the past 12 months.

Wilson said: “We will sit around the table and decide which way we want to go.

“The majority of the adjudication will take place at the back end of September.”

The programme new academy year starts on Thursday, October 1.

The eight players who have been shortlisted are: Jack Haynes, Musharraf Shazad, Ryan Wheldon (Shropshire), Ewan Wilcox (Staffordshire), Xavier Clarke (Shropshire), George Newton (Cheshire & Shrewsbury School), Callum Lea and Zain Hassan.