Worcestershire Rapids v Yorkshire Vikings
Vitality Blast, North Group
Friday May 25, 2023, 5.30pm
New Road
Toss: Yorkshire won it and elected to bat.
Teams – Rapids: Brett D’Oliveira c, Michael Bracewell, Jack Haynes, Adam Hose, Kashif Ali, Ben Cox w, Ed Pollock, Usama Mir, Adam Finch, Dillon Pennington, Pat Brown.
Vikings: Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Shan Masood c, Jonny Tattersall w, Matthew Revis, David Wiese, Matthew Fisher, Dom Bess, Jordan Thompson, Ben Mike, Jafer Chohan.
Match summary: Worcestershire seamer Adam Finch hit three sixes off the first five balls off Matthew Fisher in the last over as the Rapids chased down 176 and 19 off the last over to win by two wickets with one ball to spare. David Wiese had claimed 3-18 on an impressive debut after Yorkshire had posted 175-9, including Matthew Revis’ 42.
Report: Yorkshire looked set for their first win of the season, only for Finch, from number nine, to whack 30 off 10 balls and turn the game on its head.
When he came to the crease, the Rapids were 145-7 after 17.3, and he hit his sixes over long-on and long-off to break Yorkshire’s hearts.
Both sides recovered from early strife with the bat, Yorkshire posting 175-9 and Worcestershire getting over the line having been 8-2.
Dillon Pennington struck twice in the first three overs of the match, getting rid of openers Dawid Malan caught behind for a golden duck and Adam Lyth caught at mid-on pulling as the Vikings fell to 10-2.
But Shan Masood, Jonny Tattersall, Revis and Thompson were all part of the rebuild.
Masood and Tattersall, the latter playing his first first-team match of 2023, shared 47 inside six overs and busily contributed 31 and 29 on a hybrid pitch which held up.
But both holed out to Brett D’Oliveira’s leg-spin as the score slipped to 68-4 in the 10th.
Then, the Vikings, from 73-4, scored 102 runs in the last 10 overs of their innings, including two overs going for 21 apiece against D’Oliveira and seamer Finch.
In the first of them, the 13th, Thompson hit D’Oliveira for three sixes in a row – two over midwicket and the other straight – to take the score to 101-4 and move towards a score of 36 off 18 balls.
Later, in the 19th, Revis clattered a four and two sixes off Finch – the sixes straight and over cover – to take the score to 165-7.
Wiese, who hit 15 off nine balls down the order, then took the new ball and struck with his fifth ball in the second over when D’Oliveira pulled him to Revis at deep mid-wicket.
And when Fisher had New Zealander Michael Bracewell caught behind two balls later, the Rapids were 8-2 at the start of the third over.
Adam Hose and Jack Haynes then set about turning the game around with an entertaining 78-run stand, of which Hose contributed 44 off 26 balls, including a slog-swept six off Jafer Chohan.
Thankfully, Thompson had the former Birmingham man caught and bowled diving forwards at the start of the 11th over – 86-3.
Chohan’s leg-spin then accounted for Haynes (32) caught pulling to deep mid-wicket, a busy fielding position on the night, in the next, leaving the Rapids at 98-4.
Worcester kept themselves ahead of the rate, but Yorkshire continued to strike at regular intervals.
Revis had Ben Cox caught at deep square-leg and Wiese returned to bowl Ed Pollock in the next – 131-6 early in the 16th over.
Wiese’s third wicket – he finished with 3-18 from four overs – came when Pakistani spinner Usama Mir was caught at deep midwicket before Thompson had Kashif Ali caught at cover.
At that stage, Yorkshire had the game in their hands, only for Finch’s heroics to deny them once again.
Magic moment: Wiese’s debut spell was outstanding, showing all the experience of a 300 plus game T20 career.
Turning point: The last over from Finch against Fisher, who slumped to his knees at the end of the contest.
Stat of the match: When Finch came to the crease at 145-7, Worcestershire needed 31 to win and the number nine hit 30 of them.
What they said – David Wiese: “I think we did a lot of good things in that game, but there were crucial moments that we let slip. Tonight was one of those where we should have got over the line, but it’s a big learning curve.
“There are still a lot of games to go, and we just need to get that first win on the board and take that momentum from there.
“It was a game where momentum kept shifting the whole time. As soon as you thought one team was going to be on top, there was a counter-punch. I’m sure it was a fantastic game of cricket to watch, but unfortunately we didn’t come on the right side of the result.
“It’s nice to pick up a couple of wickets and contribute a bit to the team. I just tried to keep it simple.”
What’s next: Yorkshire face Durham at Headingley on Sunday morning, 11.30am start, as the first part of a T20 double header with the Northern Diamonds, who face Sunrisers in the Charlotte Edwards Cup in the afternoon.
