[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

T20 Blast, North Group

vs Northamptonshire

Wantage Road, Northampton

Worcs innings: Northants won the toss and put an unchanged Pears side in to bat on a warm, golden Friday evening at Wantage Road. Riki Wessels was a powerplay casualty again, striking an early leg-glance for four off Ben Sanderson, but being bowled off the very next delivery for 8; perhaps wary of the slight collapse which had seen the team three down in the powerplay on Wednesday, there was some cautious batting for the next few overs, and Worcestershire were just 36-1 off the opening six. But there was no keeping Moeen Ali on a leash for long, and whenever Northants offered him width outside off, the ball flew to the rope. On his way to a 28-ball half-century the skipper dispatched Wayne Parnell for a couple of sixes - one a convincing pull over mid-on, the other a fortunate top-edge that steepled over third man and landed (after a vertical descent) barely an inch beyond the boundary - but after bringing up his fifty with a fourth six, he was caught for 52 in the same over. Brett D'Oliveira, who'd lashed a couple of sixes down the ground himself en route to his 43, was caught behind a couple of overs later; but at 139-3 after fifteen, it still felt like the Pears had a solid platform to build on. Nevertheless, Northants fought hard to put the brakes on, and Jake Libby was yorked for 12 while Ross Whiteley ended his own cameo by holing out for 23. With Ed Barnard departing for just 2, it fell to Ben Cox to club a crucial 26 off ten balls before being caught off the final delivery, lifting Worcestershire to a very handy 185-7.

Northants innings: In the balmy, floodlit dusk, Worcs got off to the best possible start as Josh Tongue bowled a real loosener outside off which was promptly slapped straight to Dolly at backward point, who thankfully held on to what might well have ploughed through him like a cannonball. With Richard Levi gone for a duck off the first ball and the scoreboard reading 0-1, the hosts might have been forgiven for mimicking Worcestershire's early caution, but just two overs later it was the turn of Ricardo Vasconcelos to trudge back to the pavilion, caught for 1 off another Superman effort by Whiteley off the bowling of Charlie Morris. The seamer turned two into three within the powerplay when Josh Cobb, who'd attacked very effectively after coming to the crease, was deceived by a slower ball which was caught at mid-on for 29, and once Ish Sodhi bowled Adam Rossington for 22 off his first delivery, leaving Northants 53-4, their chances all but evaporated. Wayne Parnell, in at least eight overs too soon, was stumped for 11 trying to thwack Moeen out of the ground, and the skipper made it a pair when Rob Keogh holed out to deep midwicket for 26. Some smart keeping saw Tom Taylor run out for 3 before Northants had even reached three figures, and at 98-7 they might have been forgiven for giving up the ghost, so credit is due to tail-ender Saif Zaib who began creaming boundaries on all sides of the ground, regaining a slender foothold in the game for his side. However, Zaib departed for 36 in the penultimate over after trying to push for one run too many, and in the same over, Ben Dwarshuis made up for a considerably less-than-auspicious start at New Road by taking his first Pears wicket, having Graeme White caught for 7 at deep point as Worcestershire strolled home.

Worcestershire WIN by thirty-two runs

The Verdict: After some Jekyll-and-Hyde stuff with both bat and ball against Notts, this was a comprehensive performance and a deserved victory to get right on track. The pace attack is still slightly suspect at times, and prone to go for runs, but Sodhi and Moeen with Dolly in reserve is a magnificent armoury for the middle overs that may well see the Pears to another finals day this summer.