Worcestershire captain Brett D’Oliveira insists his side are heading into the final day at Chelmsford with full belief they can pull off a remarkable Division One victory against Essex.
Despite being set 295 to win on a surface showing signs of wear and tear, and ending day three on 185-6, D’Oliveira was full of praise for the fight shown by his team and believes there’s still everything to play for with 110 runs required and four wickets in hand.
“It’s always going to be tough in Division One, we know that,” he said. “But I thought we stuck to our guns pretty well. Essex played well at the back end of their innings and those last five wickets put on some handy partnerships, which has made it hard. But we’re still in with an opportunity to do something special, and that’s what we’ve got to believe in.”
Worcestershire suffered setbacks at key moments, losing Gareth Roderick just before lunch and Kashif Ali just before tea, but D’Oliveira was pleased with the way the side responded.
“Losing wickets at crucial times always hurts you, and it felt like that today. But that’s part of the game, and I thought the way Kash batted, and then how Matthew Waite and Ethan Brookes handled things later on, leaves us in a good place going into tomorrow.”
D’Oliveira, who spent valuable time at the crease in both innings, gave an honest assessment of a hybrid pitch that is showing signs of variable bounce but still offers runs for those who apply themselves.
“It’s definitely got a bit slower, and I think you’re seeing some variable bounce now where the ball’s hitting dents from earlier in the match. But that’s maybe 20% of deliveries. The other 80%? It’s been pretty good to bat on. The key is not letting that 20% get in your head.”
And when it comes to the task ahead, the skipper is focused on breaking the chase down into smaller targets.
“Batting’s always about one ball at a time, especially in situations like this,” he said. “We need 110 more, and once it gets below three figures it starts to feel like it’s ticking down quicker. If we can apply pressure, you just never know what might happen.”
He also took a moment to heap praise on all-rounder Matthew Waite, who ended the day unbeaten on 27 and has continued to impress in all departments.
“Matthew’s a tremendous cricketer. He’s got the ability to hurt teams with the bat and we know how well he bowls too. He hasn’t played loads of cricket yet, which is exciting, the more he plays, the better he’ll get. He’s also a brilliant personality in the dressing room.”
With the ghosts of a successful turnaround at Chelmsford last season still lingering, D’Oliveira sees no reason why his side can’t repeat the feat.
“We’ll definitely be reminding ourselves of that,” he said. “What’s the point going out there thinking we can’t do it? That would be stupid. We’ll walk out tomorrow fully believing we can win. We’ve still got batters to come, it’s all to play for.”
