Lancashire Preview: Taylor welcomes test against star-studded Lightning

Vitality T20 Blast: Worcestershire Rapids v Lancashire Lightning 

Venue: Visit Worcestershire New Road

Date: Friday 13th June

Scheduled start time: 5:30pm

Worcestershire Rapids entertain Lancashire Lightning on Friday evening, looking to extend their winning run, after last Saturday’s trip to Nottingham saw them compile a near perfect team performance, running out 25-run victors.

The Rapids however, are all to aware of the threat posed by the Lightning, after losing their opening North group fixture at Emirates Old Trafford last month.

A scintillating knock of 95 off just 51 balls from Adam Hose, powered Worcestershire Rapids to a vital win over Nottinghamshire Outlaws as they got their Vitality Blast campaign back on track.

An innings that included seven fours and six fours, the vice-captain, ably supported by Kashif Ali (51) and Ethan Brookes (32), propelled the visitors to 206-5.

Wickets at regular intervals kept the away side in control of the Outlaws chase, as the Rapids strangled their opponents throughout, who struggled to recover from 72-4.

In a complete performance, Ben Dwarshuis (1-23) showed all his skills to help steer the Rapids to a clinical 25 run-win.

Worcestershire Rapids’ bowler Tom Taylor is keen for his side to pick up where they left off, as they prepare to face Lancashire Lightning, in their next Vitality T20 Blast fixture on Friday evening.

After losing out at home on Friday night to Northants Steelbacks, the Rapids hit back in tremendous style, overturning Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Trent Bridge, by 25-runs.

Adam Hose, grabbed the headlines with a superb 95, but it was a team performance on a generally good cricket wicket that Taylor, believes won his side the game.

“It was an amazing sort of game. Hosey played amazingly, and Kash also, to get that score was amazing and we bowled really well as a group, so it was a good one.

“You can never be too certain at Trent Bridge. It has a little bit of short side, wind over that way and it’s a really good pitch, so you can never be too confident. But it was certainly slightly above par with what we thought had been a fresh wicket, which was sat under the covers all day. So it was a good score and we were happy with it.

A key focus for the Rapids this season has been building partnerships, whether that be in the middle, or indeed with the ball in their hands.

Hose, was involved in two half-century stands during his 19-over stay at the crease, which propelled his side to a above-par total of 205 in the end, but the bowlers showed their ability to execute a plan by restricting the Outlaws batters throughout, with pressure building from both ends.

Taylor, says it has been a big focus point for the group since last season, and will continue to be an area of emphasis in the build-up to Friday’s match at Visit Worcestershire New Road.

“It’s something that we weren’t quite able to do last year. But, I mean, just speaking about that innings from Adam to go and get 90, you know, he deserved 100 definitely, but it allows people to come in and play those little cameos.

“It’s when you’re losing wickets consistently you can never quite get going. He was quite a mainstay throughout, batted almost 19 overs and that’s really good. You want to be bowling in partnerships, and it can never be as consistent with the bowling group, but you want to be on the same page and we were able to do that.

“We will look to do that this Friday in another big one back at home.”

After going down narrowly to the Lightning in the opening game of this year’s tournament, the Rapids are looking to harness their own momentum and secure back-to-back wins in the group stage for the first time this year.

Since losing by seven-runs last time out, the Rapids have won two and lost two of their following matches, as Friday night offers a chance for the hosts to pile the pressure on their rivals and re-assert their charge for the knockouts.

Taylor is confident, that on a slightly different wicket, the Rapids can continue their good form and reward their vibrant home support.

“It’ll be a different surface that we’ll see them on, it seemed to be a massively friendly Powerplay batting wicket. A lot of runs were scored in both power plays just for us and for them, whereas the power plays here can be a little bit more challenging, a bit more seamer friendly.

“We will aim to take wickets with the new ball, try and be nice and aggressive with that, try and make some inroads, and then it gets a little bit easier as the innings goes on here.

“It will be amazing. I missed the first home game, so I’m looking forward to Friday. I can’t wait. It’ll be against a strong Lancashire side by the looks of it. I think they’ll have some England boys back, so it’ll be amazing.

“The better players or the better opposition that you come against, you want to raise your own standards and raise the team standards to go for that. So hopefully their big guys play.”

Last season: Quarter-finals

Previous result: Lost by 24 runs to Northants Steelbacks

One to watch: Keaton Jennings

After locking horns in the opening fixture of this year’s Vitality T20 Blast, the Lightning edged a thrilling contest in Manchester, prevailing by seven-runs.

Like plenty of sides early on in the competition, the Lightning have had mixed fortunes, winning two and losing two of their four games since the opener, but are positioned well in the North group.

Sat second, eight-points behind runaway leaders Northants Steelbacks, the Lightning are in a top-half tussle, where defeat against the Rapids on Friday, could see them leapfrogged in second place.

Despite suffering defeat against Northants last time out, the 2015 winners of the competition have been buoyed by the returns of Liam Livingstone, James Anderson and Tom Hartley.

It has been their Captain, Keaton Jennings, who’s led the charge for his team so far, scoring 224 runs in his five innings, at an average of 44 with a high-score of 95 against Notts Outlaws.

In trademark fashion, he will be looking to get his side off to a big start on Friday night and lead his team to an early season double over the Rapids.