Ethan Brookes hit the fastest Worcestershire Rapids T20 fifty, as he blitzed 57 0ff 20 balls before taking 3-30 with the ball as the Rapids secured a 45-run win over Notts Outlaws to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
Brett D’Oliveira (46) and crucial hands from Kashif Ali (34) and Adam Hose (33) all helped the Rapids towards an imposing first-innings total of 206-7.
Brookes led the charge, but a stunning fielding display and regular wickets kept the Outlaws at bay, as Ben Allison, Khurram Shahzad and Tom Taylor all chipped in as Notts were dismissed for 161.
The result keeps the Rapids in the hunt for the quarter-final places, with the results from Friday’s fixtures determining whether or not Worcestershire will be playing in the Vitality T20 Blast quarter-finals.
Worcestershire arrived to Visit Worcestershire New Road on Thursday evening ahead of their final group game of the competition knowing only a win would do to stand any chance of qualification for the quarter-finals of the Vitality T20 Blast, with even that potentially not being enough if other results went against the hosts.
With Brett D’Oliveira losing the toss and being asked to bat first under grey skies and rain in the air, the side with three changes had a big, but clear task in front of them.
Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Finch and Henry Cullen made way, as Ben Allison, Adam Hose and T20 debutant Ben Gibbon all came into the side.
D’Oliveira and Isaac started with good intent, looking to replicate Sunday’s excellent powerplay, with the latter starting in trademark fashion, blitzing 27 from 15 balls before holding out in the deep.
The positive momentum continued however, as the Rapids reached the end of the powerplay 61-1.
New man Kashif Ali came to the middle and wasted no time in getting into his stride as he and the Rapids captain put on 62 for the second wicket in just under six-overs.
Kashif’s eye catching cameo was ended when he was caught at long-on for 34, trying to clear the boundary, as Hose joined the in and set D’Oliveira.
The pair sustained the 10 an over run-rate with relative comfort, running between the wickets hard and applying pressure onto the Outlaws fielders, as the Rapid’s eyed a total towards the 200 mark.
D’Oliveira was unfortunate to fall four-runs short of a fluent fifty when he was caught at short-third man having laid all the foundations in a well put together 36-ball knock.
The 150 was raised for the hosts in the 16th over, as Ethan Brookes and Hose looked to capitalise on the platform.
Brookes carried on his impressive form as he played expansively, with he and Hose combining in brutal style for a 26-ball 50 partnership, with the 17th and 18th overs both going for 17-runs.
Hose fell for 33 in the penultimate over, Tom Taylor (4) came and went, before Brookes celebrated a scintillating 18-ball-50 by slamming a four through mid-wicket and depositing the very next ball out of the ground over the Basil D’Oliveira stand.
Brookes left the middle to a standing ovation when he was eventually dismissed for 57, hitting five-fours and five-sixes at a strike rate of 275, setting Visit Worcestershire New Road alight with another sparkling innings, as the Rapids finished on 206-7.
The Rapids response started in perfect fashion, with Khurram Shahzad and Tom Taylor striking inside the first three overs to leave the Outlaws 14-2.
Khurram first had McCann caught well by Kashif who took a difficult high-catch inside the 30 yard circle, before Taylor (2-24) produced another superb opening spell when Ben Gibbon took a sensational catch running backwards with the ball dropping over his head at short-third man to dismiss Jack Haynes.
Khurram picked up his second wicket of the evening soon after, when former Rapid Joe Clarke’s time in the middle was brought to an end courtesy of another excellent Gibbon catch.
The momentum stayed with the hosts when Ethan Brookes took the wicket of Moises Henriques with his first-ball after another well-judged catch from D’Oliveira at extra-cover, as the Outlaws were struggling to stay in the game at 49-4 in the eighth over.
Matt Montgomery set about the Rapids bowlers however with a brutal middle-order blitz, throwing momentum back into the away side’s favour as he rocketed his side to 110-4 in the eleventh over.
The Rapids reasserted their dominance when Allison (3-37), returned from the New Road End to dismiss the danger man for 47, before Brookes returned with two wickets in two balls to swing the game on its head.
First it was the dangerous Daniel Sams to depart as Isaac took a fabulous catch straight down the ground, before Liam Patterson-White left for a golden-duck as Adam Hose made no mistake with a catch at backward-point.
There was to be no poetic hat-trick, but another superb spell from the all-rounder once again reminded everyone of his importance to the Rapids side, as he returned figures of 3-30 from his four overs.
Allison picked up his second wicket of the contest when Harrison gloved a ball behind to Gareth Roderick, as Moores pressed on past his 50 with the Outlaws requiring over 13 an over with two-wickets in hand.
Taylor returned to end his siege for 57 in the 17th over, with a comfortable 45-run victory sealed in the penultimate over, as the Rapids now face a nervous wait to see if other results go their way after doing all they can in a superb end to their Blast group-stage campaign.
