Captain Brett D’Oliveira says Worcestershire Rapids will “do everything they possibly can” to seal a Vitality Blast quarter-final spot when they take on Durham at a sold-out New Road on Friday evening.
Victory will ensure that the Rapids performances in the T20 tournament this summer will be rewarded with a top four spot in the North Group.
They have won seven of their 12 group games and last week delighted the home crowd with back-to-back wins over Lancashire Lightning and Notts Outlaws.
D’Oliveira, who has recovered from the illness which kept him out of the LV=Insurance County Championship fixture with Derbyshire, said: “It’s a big night on Friday, there is a lot at stake but the lads are ready for the challenge.
“We have played some great cricket in this season’s competition with different people chipping in at different times and playing their part.
“It’s been a real team effort and, although we weren’t at our best last Friday at Edgbaston, there have been plenty of times when we have shown what we are capable of.
“We will do all that we possibly can to get through to the quarter-finals and having the backing of a home crowd on a Friday evening can only be of benefit to us.
“Anyone can beat anyone in this competition on any given day and we will show Durham plenty of respect.
“But we know what a victory will mean to the club, the players, coaches, support staff and supporters.
“A few of the lads are still here from 2018 and 2019 and would love to experience something similar but we are just taking things one game at a time.”
The Rapids have 14 points from 12 matches and Friday’s meeting with Durham will be the only time the sides meet in the group stages of this year’s tournament.
Worcestershire Rapids squad
Brett D’Oliveira ©
Jack Haynes
Mitchell Santner
Adam Hose
Kashif Ali
Ben Cox (W)
Ed Pollock
Usama Mir
Matthew Waite
Dillon Pennington
Pat Brown
Adam Finch
Jake Libby
Ben Gibbon
