After propelling his side to an opening day Vitality Blast T20 victory against Leicestershire Foxes, Isaac Mohammed said it was a “special feeling” to open the 2026 campaign in winning style.
The left-hander blasted 42 from just 26 balls at the top of the order for the Rapids, with his lightning cameo helping the visitors post an above-par 186-9.
Keen to maximise the benefits of the six-over batting powerplay, Isaac started with a bang, drilling the first ball of the match down the ground for four to set the tone for his team.
Setting the ground alight with some jaw-dropping shots, it was an imperative knock from Isaac, who helped his side score at 10-an-over through the powerplay.
The young star said the hard work in the build-up to Friday’s tournament opener more than played its part.
“I felt like I was seeing it nicely and hitting it nicely. I have been training hard and working hard these last few weeks.
“It is such a special feeling when you win a game like that, first one away and the first one in the group, so yeah, buzzing.
“We generally talk about playing with a positive approach, so when one or two of the lads got going, we tend to just keep going.
“Even when we went two down, then three down, we just carried that on, and we were actually looking for something closer to 200, but in the end we got a really decent total that proved enough.”
A combination of pressure in the field and some efficient middle-overs bowling saw the Rapids stay in control of the contest, after three early wickets reduced the Foxes to 32-3 in the powerplay.
With skipper Brett D’Oliveira shuffling his bowlers almost every over, there was no time for the hosts to settle, as Adam Finch’s two-wicket burst in the sixth over proved crucial in the eventual outcome.
Unable to kick on at any point, and with the required rate rising, a well-organised and disciplined Rapids bowling effort saw the away side to a well-deserved 18-run opening day victory.
Delighted with his team’s bowling efforts, Isaac said the damage was done early on in the piece.
“They lost two wickets early on in quite quick succession, which then took time out of the game to rebuild.
“We bowled really well, especially Sikandar and Usama, both the spinners applied loads of pressure and won us the game in the end.
“Sometimes those ones don’t go your way, but today they did, and we will get back home on Sunday and hopefully go again with another win.”
