Worcestershire Rapids Vitality T20 Blast at Trent Bridge Win

 

PATEL PUTS RAPIDS IN A SPIN

Before Hales Finishes the Demolition job on them

Notts went to the top of the Northern Section with an emphatic and rapid victory over visitors Worcestershire last night. The sun was blazing throughout and the crowd was almost up to the Boris defined limit of 3,900 only the William Clarke stand seemed scarcely populated. They witnessed a remarkable match where many records were broken:

· Notts won by 10 wickets for only the second time in their history, the previous time was the Middlesex quarter-final two years ago. 

· It was the fastest T20 domestic victory ever. Notts won with 82 balls to spare. The previous record being when Hampshire beat Gloucester at Bristol in 2010 by seven wickets with 75 balls to spare.

· Samit Patel, in red hot form, achieved a T20 domestic record with figures of 4-1-4-3 the most economical 4-over spell in the Blast competition. Three of the 4 overs were in the power play and his spell included 20 dot balls. The previous most economical for Notts were 4-0-7-0 by Ryan Sidebottom in the semi-final versus Surrey at Trent Bridge in 2006.

· When Patel dismissed Tom Fell, he took his 100th T20 wicket at Trent Bridge. The only other bowler to take 100 wickets at the same venue is Shakib Al Hasan who has taken 135 wickets at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur 

· Worcestershire 86-8 in the lowest against Notts in a 20 over contest beating

the 90 all out by Leicestershire at Trent Bridge in 2014. Worcestershire only hit

two boundaries throughout their innings

· Jake Ball achieved T20 best figures of 3-17

An unchanged Notts won the toss and elected to bowl on the same pitch as used in the 2 run defeat of Derby last Friday. Patel (Radcliffe Road) took a wicket with his third ball, d'Oliveira caught at first slip by Mullaney, 1 for 1. Two off the first over. Worcester scored three off the second over bowled by Fletcher. Tom Fell (3) was stumped by Moores off Patel, 5 for 2. Three balls later, Wessels (2) edged Patel to Carter at short third man, 6 for 3 off 2.4 overs. Next over, Cox (3) skied Ball to Mullaney at mid off, 11 for 4 off 4 overs. Patel bowled a maiden in the 5th over; just one leg bye conceded. Eight runs came off the sixth over bowled by Carter, Worcester 20 fo r4 at the end of the power play.

The 7th and 8^th overs bowled by Harrison and Mullaney respectively went for 3 and 7. Moores missed a stumping when Libby was on 13, Harrison the bowler, Worcester 38 for 4 off 9 overs. Carter went for four the following over. Whiteley hit Harrison for a straight boundary, the first of the innings off the last ball of the 11th over, nine off the over, the most expensive of the innings. Carter went for 6 in the 12th over. Whiteley (15) was caught at long on by Joe Clarke off Mullaney, 57 for 5. The 5^th wicket stand between Libby and Whiteley had added 46 in 8.1 overs.

Four balls later,Libby on 29 was caught at backward point by Budinger off Mullaney, 59 for 6. Mullaney conceded three off the over. Carter (4-0-19-0) went for 3 in his last over. Mullaney (3-0-15-2) conceded five singles in the 15th over. Ball was hit for a boundary through point by Dwarshuis, eight off the over. Patel went for a single in the 17th over, to finish with truly remarkable figures. It brought back memories of Dilip Doshi’s 8-7-1-1 at a Sunday game at Northampton 44 years ago.

Worcester were tangled in a web, the normal big hitting Barnard played five consecutive dot balls off Fletcher, until finally getting a single off the last ball. Barnard, however, holed out to Clarke at long off, Ball the bowler, 80 for 7. Next ball, Dwarshuis (12) was bowled by Ball (3-0-17-3). Four off the 19th over. Fletcher (3-0-8-0) conceded four off his last over. Worcester 86 for 8 off 20 overs, Pennington 4 not out and Sodhi 2 not out. None of their batsman seemed capable of timing the ball with the ball rarely leaving the square. A truly inept batting performance, as Notts bowlers reigned supreme.

Notts put the surface into perspective by raced to their target in 38 balls with 13 fours and three sixes. Hales swept Sodhi (Radcliffe Road End) to the square leg boundary,seven off the first over. Clarke cover drove Dwarshuis’ opening delivery for four. Two balls later, Hales repeated the shot, the third boundary of the innings achieved in nine balls. Hales then blasted the Australian through mid wicket, 15 off the over. Clarke hit Sodhi for 3, then Hales hit for successive fours through square leg and cover. Next ball was six over square leg. Ball five was a cover boundary. Hales finished the over with a six over square leg, 27 off the over. Leg-spinner Sodhi(2-0-34-0) return to Trent Bridge was not a happy one.

Notts 49 for 0 after 3 overs. The 50 partnership came up in 19 balls. Clarke was dropped in the covers by Wessels on 38 off Pennington; the next ball was pulled for 4.Clarke blasted Pennington through the covers for another four, 12 off the over.Hales hit Dwarshuis for an aerial four over long on. Two balls later, Hales got to 50 off 18 balls via a four through mid wicket. The following delivery went to the third man boundary, 13 off the over. Morris bowled a wide but off his last ball; Clarke hit him for six over extra cover, 11 off the over. Notts 85 for 0 at the end of the power play. Hales cover drove Barnard's 2nd ball for four. Notts 89 for 0 off 6.2 overs. The game was all over by 1952,eight minutes before the England match kicked off! Hales 60 not out off 24 balls (11x4, 2x6) and Clarke 26 not out off 14 balls (2x4, 1x6).

Worcestershire had been on the receiving end of the most one-sided match in the English T20 history. MAG

Secret Squirrel's XIII

Sol Budinger
Alex Hales
Joe Clarke
Ben Duckett
Steven Mullaney
Samit Patel
Peter Trego
Tom Moores
Calvin Harrison
Matt Carter
Luke Fletcher
Dane Paterson
Jake Ball

Must Win?

This match will take Outlaws to the half-way mark of the Group stages of this year's Blast. As Worcester have a game in hand over Notts, this is perhaps a game to win with the top six clubs so close in the table.

Concerns remain over the bowling, particularly in the powerplay overs but in the fight back at the death on Sunday some green shoots for optimism emerged, and if that form could be replicated in the first six of an innings, we would all be feeling more confident.

Matthew Carter has been more expensive most recently than we are used to, has he been worked-out by the countless analysts employed by counties? Do Notts need to spring a surprise or two?

Rapids will be without their talisman, Moeen Ali but have plenty of party-poopers to ruin an evening. It's again another evening shared with England in the Euros, a case of EwCB bad planning, or deliberate sabotage of a county competition, which was due to be out of restrictions before Boris redrew his roadmap?

I can't see Secret Squirrel changing the squad although a flinging himself about Samit, did look to have hurt himself against Lancashire. I haven't heard that Hell has frozen over this morning, so I'd expect Samit's name to be there when the squad is announced on SM.

An announcement Monday that Tom Moores has extended his Notts contract until the end of the 2024 season.