Colin Munro launched his latest spell at New Road with a fine half-century for Worcestershire Rapids, who went down by four wickets to Notts Outlaws in the final over of a hard-fought Vitality Blast encounter at Trent Bridge.
The New Zealand star arrived in England on Thursday morning but showed no signs of jet lag and was instead in the jet stream racing to 66 off 43 balls at a strike rate of 153.
In his third Blast campaign with the Rapids, Munro struck two sixes and seven fours.
No one else was able to contribute a sizeable contribution, and, as was the case against Yorkshire Vikings on Wednesday, a total of 164-9 looked below par after the Outlaws had put the Rapids into bat.
But the Rapids fought hard with the ball and with their ground fielding to stay in the contest.
Brett D’Oliveira picked up two wickets during an excellent spell of 4-0-24-2 in which he also had Tom Moores dropped.
Matthew Waite then delivered a double strike in the penultimate over to keep the Rapids hopes alive before Calvin Harrison hit the winning boundary with two balls to spare.
Worcestershire made two changes from the side in action against Yorkshire Vikings, with Munro and on-loan Matthew Waite replacing Gareth Roderick and Pat Brown.
The Rapids were put into bat, and Ed Pollock despatched Luke Fletcher for successive sixes backward of square and mid-wicket.
The left-hander had made 19 off nine balls when he struck a full toss from the same bowler into the hands of mid-on.
Fresh from his excellent 61 against the Vikings, Jack Haynes looked in good touch and lofted Jake Ball over mid-on and mid-off for boundaries.
D’Oliveira (7) attempted to play a ramp shot against Dan Christian but feathered a catch to the keeper.
New batter Munro got off the mark with a four over cover off Samit Patel and then drilled the same bowler straight back down the ground in a confident start.
Haynes survived one chance to deep point off Ball but fell to the same bowler from the last ball of the powerplay when he made room to cut and was caught behind at 56-3.
Munro continued to score freely, striking Calvin Harrison for six over long-on and pulling the next delivery through mid-wicket to the ropes.
Libby, who made a run a ball 15, helped him 47 before skying a catch to wide mid-on off Christian.
Munro completed an excellent half-century from 33 balls when he smashed Steven Mullaney through the covers for his sixth four.
A massive blow over mid-wicket at Christian’s expense earned him his second six.
Munro’s excellent innings ended when he tried to uppercut Fletcher and fell to a fine catch from Patel at short third man on the edge of the circle.
Ben Cox stepped up the scoring rate with a six and a four in the same over from Fletcher but, after making 20 off 14 deliveries, was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off the final ball.
Waite (2), Josh Baker (5) and Ed Barnard (5) were dismissed in the closing couple of overs trying to force the pace, and Fletcher finished with a Blast career-best return of 5-32.
Pennington struck an early blow for the Rapids when Alex Hales (2) went to work to leg and was caught off a leading edge at backward point.
Morris dismissed Ben Duckett (29) in the final over of the powerplay, with Pollock holding onto the chance on the leg side.
D’Oliveira’s first over brought a further breakthrough, with Morris taking a good steepling boundary catch straight down the ground to remove Patel (4).
Clarke completed a 28 balls half-century with two sixes and six fours but then failed to make proper contact against D’Oliveira and skied a catch out to Munro in front of point.
D’Oliveira should have had a third wicket, but Moores, on 28, was given a life on the long-on boundary.
Waite struck twice in the 19th over with Cox running back to take a fine high catch to dismiss Moores (47), and then Mullaney (0) was taken at backward square before Harrison settled the contest.
