worcestershire first team coach alex gidman gave his reaction after the weather-hit drawn specsavers county championship clash with lancashire at New Road.
only 71.3 overs play were possible during the four days with worcestershire bowled out for 98 and lancashire replying with 110-3.
gidman said: “what am i taking away from the 70 odd overs? we struggled with the bat which was disappointing from the lads point of view. we didn’t have great preparation due to the weather so it’s just been a frustrating week for everyone.
“after the middlesex performance, we had a bit of time off last week and were really keen to start, i guess, getting over those two losses (to lancashire away and middlesex home) and starting to move forward again.
“we’ve just hit a bit of a stalling point this week with the weather and still not quite getting it quite right with the bat. it is what it is. we can’t control the weather. we’ve come out of it with six points. it could have been a few more points.
“it’s not to be and we just have to accept it for what it was and start looking forward to the next week.
“what was i happy with and what did not please me? i think josh dell looked comfortable at the crease which was great and i thought ed barnard also batting at number six.
“it was just a bit of a mindset shift from him (batting at six). he looked comfortable at the crease. we have given him a bit more responsibility with the bat, and it seems to have been a good move for him, albeit very early days.
“but obviously we’ve got a number of guys all struggling at the same time. you obviously hope that throughout a season, you always expect and understand that guys are going to have a bit of a tough time but then hope other guys aren’t so that it dovetails quite nicely.
“at the moment we are just in one of those little patches where three or four players are all struggling at the same time. they are all quality players and i have every faith, trust and belief in them all and i’m sure they will start to turn it around sooner rather than later.
“they are a very honest bunch. we know as a group that they are under-performing and not performing to the expectation levels that they set themselves, not by me but by themselves. i’m sure it will turn around soon.
“one of the frustrations from a coach’s point of view is that you can’t do anything once they get out there. we couldn’t prepare here for a couple of days and then the weather in the mornings meant the players couldn’t get in the volume (of practice) that they wanted.
“but no excuses. that is just the reality, and it was the reality for both teams, but it is important that they and we keep things very simple. they are experienced players and i’m sure they will be doing everything in their power to turn it around for themselves because they are good players and want to score runs.”
