Worcestershire Rapids Vitality T20 Blast at New Road Win 2 pts Report

IT'S HALES BEFORE THE RAIN

AS ALEX PLAYS THE SITUATION SUPERBLY TO REGISTER OUTLAWS FIRST WIN, BY DLS

• but confusion reigned for spectators

Notts finally broke the T20 losing sequence winning their rain abrupted contest versus Worcestershire last night by the narrowest margin – a one run victory by the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method.

An unchanged Notts won the toss and elected to bowl in front of 2,275 at New Road. The outfield was slow and the hybrid pitch was very tacky with run scoring hard work on the two paced surface. A grand total 241 runs were scored over the two innings at a rate of 6.88 RPO.

Worcester have avoided most of the showers dotted around the UK with the game starting in sunshine.

Montgomery (Diglis End) conceded a single off the opening over. Lister went for seven off the second over. Waite pulled Stone to the square leg ropes for the first boundary of the game; five runs off over number 3. D'Oliveira (8) got an thick top edge to a Lister delivery and the ball spooned up with Stone taking the chance running back towards short third man; 13 for 1 in the 4th over. Cobb (6) swept Montgomery for a square leg boundary but fell next ball leg before wicket to the off spinner; 23 for 2 in the 5th over. Waite (7) hit Stone to Patterson-White on the took a good catch on the mid-wicket ropes, 25 for 3. At the end of the powerplay, Worcestershire were 27 for 3.

Patterson-White went for six runs in the 7th over. The 8th over bowled by James cost seven runs. Brookes (9) was bowled attempting a cut shot to Harrison, 42 for 4 after 9 overs. James bowled the 10th over, Worcestershire 49 for 3 at halfway house.

Harrison went for 4 runs off the 11th over. Worcestershire then accelerated markedly scoring 88 of the remaining nine overs. James (3-0-29-0) was surprisingly given a third over, Smith hitting him for six over long off and then Hose ramped for four, 15 off the 12th over. Patterson-White conceded five runs off the following over. Harrison went for 5 in the 14th including 2 leg byes and a wide.

With the ground still bathed in sunshine, Hose smashed Patterson-White (3-0-22-0) for six over long on; 11 off the 15th over. Smith hit Harrison (4-0-22-2) for six over long but was dismissed next ball well caught by Young diving forward at deep mid-wicket; 101 for 5 in the 16th over. Smith and Hose, as they had done eight days previously at Trent Bridge, had caused Notts problems sharing a fifth wicket stand of 59 runs in 7.1 overs.

Lister went for six runs in the 17th over including a leg bye. Hose hit Stone for six over long on off the last delivery of the 18th over; 117 for 5. A further 24 runs were added off the remaining two overs. Pollock hit Lister for 4 through square leg. Pollock ramped the New Zealander for four. Hose (43 off 35 balls; 1x4, 2x6) holed out to Stone at wide long on off Lister (4-0-23-2); 126 for 6. Ten runs were scored off Lister’s final over who had executed his wide yorkers well. Pollock hit Stone (4-0-28-1) for six over long off and a lofted four over extra cover. Worcestershire 141 to 6 with Pollock on 26 and Taylor on 3.

Dark clouds were gathering from the south west at the back of the Ladies Pavilion during the interval between the innings. This was not going to be an easy chase for Notts with the case of when rather than if the rain would eventually arrive.

Notts got to a slow start. Smith (New Road End) went for three in the opening over. Taylor conceded just one run from the second over. Smith's second over went for three, 7 for 0 off 3 overs.

Clarke (26 off 19 balls, 2x4, 2x6), after trying rather unsuccessfully some ramp shots, went for the conventional method hitting Finch for consecutive fours (extra cover and straight), 11 off the 4th over. He then hit Taylor for successive sixes over extra cover and mid-wicket but lost his middle stump to the next ball, 30 for 1 of 4.4 overs. Hales was struggling for timing and had repeatedly swished at thin air, finally he hit Taylor (2-0-18-1) for 4 over extra cover, 17 scored in the 5th over. Finch went for a single in the 6th over. Notts 36 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.

Brookes went for four off his opening over. D'Oliveira conceded nine in the 8th over, his only one of the night. Hales hit Brookes (2-0-11-0) for four through third man, seven off the 9th over. Rain was now not far away and New Road, the only county headquarters without floodlights, was now very dark. It was hard work seeing the ball in the gathering gloom. Young in particular could not get going at all.

New Road’s scoreboard was only capable of telling the spectators the DLS par score at the end of each subsequent over. The PA announcer however could not be bothered to tell anyone. Notts need a big over and it came just on time with 14 runs including a leg bye coming off Cobb’s sole over. Hales hitting Cobb for six over backward square leg and then two balls later a straight six into the D'Oliveira stand. Notts 70 for 1 off 10 overs. Notts above the DLS par score.

Finch (3-0-16-0) went for four off the 11th over. Young (12 off 21 balls) was all at sea and after two dot balls from Walsh was bowled off the third delivery, 74 for 2. Just a single off the 12th over. Smith conceded five off the 13th over. Haynes (5) was lbw attempting a reverse sweep off Walsh, 80 for 3. Moores came in at number five. Hales hit Walsh (2-0-16-2) for six over square leg and then after two singles were run off before off the last delivery of the over Hales hit a six over mid-wicket, 15 off the over. Notts were ahead of the par score with light rain falling. 

Notts needed five runs off the 15th over to keep their heads above the water in the pitch-black conditions, the two electronic scoreboards providing the only illumination. D’Oliveira knew he had to bowl out key man Nathan Smith (4-0-16-0), four singles were scored with Hales (50* off 37 balls, 2x4, 2x6) reaching his half-ton off the fourth delivery. Moores failed to score off ball five but next ball inside edged the crucial single. Hales called for the towel from the Pavilion and a conference ensued with Notts still needing 42 off 5 overs, Luckily for Notts at 19:59 the heavens then opened. Umpires Warren and Bailey decided enough was enough with Hales and Moores clearly knowing that Notts were just in front striding purposely off the playing area. Notts 100 for 3 off 15 overs, Moores 5 not out. 

The crowd started to leave straight away, many not knowing the winners of the game, such was lack of info from the man with the mike. Although the DLS par score of 99 was beaming from the scoreboards. Play was abandoned 20 minutes later. Hales after a dreadful start to the tournament; his innings last night had used all his experience to guide Notts home for their first away win of the season. Durham are at Trent Bridge today with heavy showers on the menu. MAG

Not sure what Toby did to get left out of the published squad, but his omission is the only change from the Lightning defeated squad.

You can always trust in Pravda when they say 15 and only list 14, Calvin talks with Pravda here

Ben Martindale
Joe Clarke
Alex Hales
Will Young
Matt Montgomery
Jack Haynes
Liam Patterson-White
Lyndon James
Calvin Harrison
Olly Stone
Dillion Pennington
Ben Lister
Tom Moores
Freddie McCann

Is it time Peter threw his team sheet on that barbecue and started again with some different names on it?

Can Outlaws avoid a sixth consecutive defeat in the Blast 2024 (a 7th T20 over all after the Taunton QF 2023 loss)?

On form, not a blinking chance; Liam Patterson-White's fireworks must have lifted some of the players' spirits, but the top order damp squibs have not fired at all this season and supporters' patience ran out long before the Derby thrashing, it's just a matter of how long Peter can hold his nerve. On the one hand he has total faith in his players, his judgement, his team selections and with those whispers in his ears that back him all the way. On the other hand he has statistics; T20 has a short half-life, averages from past seasons count for nothing in the current competition, although some of the coach's selections could hardly be backed-up by favourable data from past performances either.

None of the top 7 are immune from the collective under-performing, but some are doing worse than others.

	Career Av	2024 Av
Joe Clarke	26.3	17.0
Alex Hales	29.5	12.4
Will Young	25.0	8.8
Jack Haynes	23.5	22.6
Matthew Montgomery	21.0	17.4
Lyndon James	13.5	9.6
Tom Moores	24.0	17.0

How badly would any of these have to do before Peter lost his faith in them and "rested" one, two or three of them?

Alex Hales is taking quite a bit of stick moment and has a highest score this season of just 32, Equally as worrying is his strike rate which over his career is 146.00, but this season is a pitiful 95.38 so not only is he getting low scores, but he is also scoring them at a pedestrian rate as well. Not good!

That's before you look at the bowling stats for this year OMG!

With rain about, Outlaws best chance of breaking their points duck at Atlantis New Road is an NR!