Leicestershire Preview: Rapids on the hunt for Blast consistency

Vitality T20 Blast: Leicestershire Foxes v Worcestershire Rapids 

Venue: Grace Road 

Date: Sunday 15th June

Scheduled start time: 4pm

Worcestershire Rapids travel to Grace Road on Sunday afternoon, looking to return to winning ways after falling to a seven-wicket defeat to Lancashire Lightning on Friday evening.

In the first meeting between the sides this season, both teams find themselves in the middle of the North group pack, chasing a knock-out place, with the Rapids struggling for consistency in the early phases of the Vitality T20 Blast.

Worcestershire Rapids’ slow start proved costly, as their first innings total of 143 was chased down with relative ease by Lancashire Lightning, who inflicted a seven-wicket defeat on the hosts.

After finding themselves 46-5, the Rapids struggled to recover, as Gareth Roderick top scored with 35 further down the order in the home side’s under-par total.

In response, Tom Taylor returned the best figures, with his four over spell returning 1-26, as Lancashire’s batters benefitted from some sustained partnerships, knocking off the total in the 18^th over.

The Rapid’s now look ahead to Sunday, where their next chance to get back to winning ways comes at Grace Road, against Leicestershire Foxes.

Gareth Roderick, says his team have to embrace their positive style of cricket, but balance their ambition in key moments as they search for a consistent formula in the T20 Blast.

Despite winning two of their opening five games this season, the Rapids are yet to string together back-to-back wins in the competitive Northern group.

After losing early wickets and falling behind against an impressive Lancashire side, Roderick, says the team are continuing to search for the right balance in the shortened format after a couple early defeats.

“I think when you when you are stepping up this kind of positive mode of cricket, you can have a little bit of growing pains. There is room for us to be a bit smarter.

“I think we can be a little bit smarter how we go about it. I think the language we are using is great and I think we just need to find that kind of balance.

“If we can get a win on Sunday and then hopefully get on a little run, it’s quite an important period. We have obviously got Sunday then Wednesday and Friday.”

In a very unforgiving schedule, the Rapids have three more games before the tournament breaks for the return of the Rothesay County Championship.

Big wins against Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire Outlaws were sandwiched between losses away at Lancashire, home to Northants Steelbacks and then on Friday, to the Lightning.

In amongst those performances have been some very promising signs for the Rapids, but a combination of lapses at vital moments and playing some very well-drilled sides have left Worcestershire in the middle of the chasing pack after five matches have been played.

Roderick, however, is assured that if the team take their learnings into Sunday’s fixture, a win at Grace Road could be the catalyst for a successful run.

“If we can win a few of those games and even string a little two or three wins together, that puts us in a decent position.

“We know this competition is based on a lot of momentum. So if we string a few wins together, and we start feeling good, and that brand of cricket that we talked about keeps shining through and add a little bit more consistency there with the bat, I think we are there or thereabouts

“Learning kind of, where we are as a team, the games come around so fast. So if you’re not learning pretty quickly, you’re going to struggle.”

Last season: Fifth in the group

Previous best: Winners (2004, 2006, 2011)

One to watch: Shan Masood

Three-time winners of the competition, the Foxes have been on the re-build for a number of years now, finding consistency with a young squad packed with potential.

After making an impressive start to the red-ball season, Leicestershire have mounted an impressive charge to the top of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two Table.

Making a steady start to the Blast this season, Leicestershire are looking to go one better than last year, where they narrowly missed out on the quarter-final stages, finishing fifth in the group stage.

With club captain Peter Handscomb choosing to skip the Blast this season, the Foxes have turned to Pakistan international Shan Masood, to plug the gap in their batting left by the Australian’s absence.

Masood, averaging 18 in this year’s competition, will be looking to add to his run tally on Sunday afternoon, with the Rapids bowling attack more than aware of the threat he poses, as his T2o high-score of 103* indicates.