A monumental effort on the fourth morning of the game that saw Worcestershire’s bowlers take five wickets for just fifty runs could not prevent the home side from falling to a three wicket-defeat in a gripping contest against title-chasing Nottinghamshire.
Khurram Shahzad (1-14) showed his quality throughout the final day and was unfortunate to not be rewarded more than once, whilst Ben Allison (3-50) produced a superb spell early on that ignited the home side’s belief.
Matthew Waite and Tom Taylor claimed a wicket apiece to reduce the visitors to 114-7, but hopes of a famous final day victory were dashed as Notts reached the target with three wickets to spare.
The defeat keeps Worcestershire at the wrong end of the Rothesay County Championship Division One table, with attentions now turning to next week’s clash with Durham.
A glorious morning welcomed Worcestershire on the final day of their contest against Notts Outlaws, with the home side taking to the field requiring early wickets if Pears were to make the visitors stumble in pursuit of the 96-runs required for victory.
Khurram Shahzad and Matthew Waite opened proceedings, with Khurram beating the bat from the New Road End as he looked to provide the necessary spark for his team.
It was Waite, however, who was the man to break the partnership of 50, when a short ball hurried Freddie McCann and the ensuing top-edge found it’s way to Kashif Ali at deep square-leg who made no mistake by holding onto a steepling catch and giving the Pears a lifeline.
50-2 became 53-3 in the 22nd over of the chase, as the belief grew around the Worcestershire field when Khurram pinned former Pear Joe Clarke LBW in front without scoring.
Even the most devout of Worcestershire supporters would have arrived at Visit Worcestershire New Road with the faintest of hopes that their side could pull off a form of cricketing miracle, yet the spirit and never say die attitude of the Pears came to the fore once again courtesy of Ben Allison’s introduction into the attack.
Still 69 runs shy of their winning target of 136, Jack Haynes threw his wicket away when Kashif eventually pouched the ball having taken four attempts to hold on at extra-cover, with the Notts batter made to pay for a loose drive.
Heavy cloud cover engulfed New Road, but it was Ben Allison who provided the next crack of light for his side with the last ball of the 28th over.
Right on cue, it was the impressive Allison who followed up his scalp of Haynes with a jaffa of a delivery to remove Kyle Verreynne, who got one to angle back in and castle middle-stump, with the fast bowler wheeling away in celebration and his side basking in momentum having reduced the Outlaws to 73-5.
Still 63 runs adrift and under all sorts of pressure, Tom Taylor’s introduction continued to perk the interest of the now rejuvenated Worcestershire side as he gave Ben Slater a working over from the Diglis End.
Edging towards midday with the wind firmly in their sails, the scarcely believable morning’s action continued to unfold as Division One’s leading wicket taker, Tom Taylor, made his pressure count by claiming the prize wicket of the in and set Slater, for 36, when the opener feathered a rising ball behind into the gloves of Roderick who took his sixth catch of the match.
The lunch break came as an untimely pause to proceedings for the home side, bringing an end to an extraordinary session that had seen five wickets fall for 51-runs.
A flurry of boundaries early in the afternoon session took the runs required down to just 22 for the visitors, as the game looked on course for it’s conclusion.
Allison however, had other ideas, and removed Liam Patterson-White for 23 when he caught the outside edge of the Notts number eight and keep the quite astonishing match alive.
Shortly before 2pm however, the game reached it’s conclusion as Worcestershire fell agonisingly short of a remarkable win, with the Outlaws sealing a three-wicket win midway through the afternoon session.
