[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, Northern Group

vs Lancashire

New Road, Worcester

Lancs innings: The Pears won the toss and put the Red Rose in to bat on a cloudy morning after heavy thunderstorms overnight. Lancashire started brightly nevertheless, and despite the early loss of the in-form Keaton Jennings who edged to first slip from a wicked Josh Tongue delivery, the visitors found boundaries easy to come by. It took two wickets in three balls from Ed Barnard to stem the flow, and Tongue struck again shortly before an impromptu lightning break to remove the dangerous Liam Livingstone and even up the contest. Upon resumption, the tail fell quickly with Joe Leach, Dolly and Moeen Ali (playing his first domestic game since midsummer last year) all claiming LBWs, but a stubborn last-wicket partnership of 38 dragged Lancashire up to 254-9 as Graham Onions played every shot in the book. It felt like a lightweight score, but the momentum somehow seemed with the visitors.

Worcs innings: You'll never go bankrupt betting on Worcestershire to make life difficult for themselves. In the entire top and middle order, only Joe Clarke can truly claim he fell victim to a great ball as he was dismissed LBW by Graham Onions. Every other batsman that came in duly got himself out to one needless shot or another as the Pears staged an unnecessary re-enactment of Friday's farce at Gosforth. At 93-6 with 162 runs still to knock off it all looked a foregone conclusion, but Daryl Mitchell - who's struggled for runs in all formats this season - rose to the occasion. Knowing that the loss of his wicket would effectively end the game, the veteran played a magnificent innings under unbelievable pressure that combined caution with skill, supported first by Ed Barnard and then by skipper Joe Leach, who impressively put aside his usual gung-ho approach with the bat to instead build a solid eighth-wicket partnership that proved unbreakable. The visitors were perhaps guilty of complacency and some lax death bowling, but boundaries at key moments enabled Worcestershire to take it into the last over needing 13 to win. The first two balls each went for singles; 11 required from four deliveries. Mitch pulled the third ball backward of square leg to bring up his century and make it 7 needed from three balls. A single off the next brought Leach on strike, and needing 6 from two balls, the skipper obliged by smashing a four. With 2 required off the last delivery (and most Worcs fans praying we could snatch an unlikely tie), Joe Mennie bowled a wide, and already determined on making a run no matter what, the Pears pair scrambled home for the bye that won the match with one extra ball still remaining.

Worcestershire WIN by three wickets (D/L)

The Verdict: What goes around comes around. On Friday Worcestershire lost a match they had no business losing, and two days later they won one they had no business winning. This miraculous turnaround keeps the Pears on top of the Northern Group, though the Durham defeat remains a galling reminder of where we could have been by now. In truth, the team lacks the swagger of last year and the absence of Tom Kohler-Cadmore is keenly felt, because Travis Head is a poor substitute at the minute. Nevertheless, when you're on top of the pile, something must be going right.