Worcestershire wicketkeeper-batter Gareth Roderick admitted Worcestershire were “off the pace” after a tough opening day in their Rothesay County Championship clash against Somerset at Taunton.
After being asked to bat first under cloudy skies, the Pears made a promising start before stumbling either side of both major breaks in play, moments Roderick pinpointed as key to the visitors’ struggles.
“I thought we started quite nicely,” he said. “The pitch was quite placid early on and we probably did a little bit more than they did with the ball. But that first hour passed and they began to find a bit more, and I thought they bowled really well from then on. We didn’t cope with it the way we’d have liked.”
Roderick admitted frustration at how those key passages were handled: “We lost wickets just before and just after breaks, and that really hurt us. We know we weren’t at our best.”
Regarding the performance with the ball, Roderick was similarly candid: “We probably bowled a few too many four balls, so again, not quite our best day at the office. But we’ve got three more days to put it right.”
Being asked to bat first wasn’t a surprise, “We’d have bowled too,” Roderick revealed. “There was a bit of moisture around from the rain the night before, and the overheads were quite heavy. But the wicket did flatten out as the day went on.”
Somerset’s Kasey Aldridge stood out with the ball in the morning and again after lunch, troubling Worcestershire’s top order with pace and bounce. “He bowled a really good spell, probably their biggest threat,” said Roderick. “He got the ball to talk when he found a good area, and credit to him for that.”
Looking ahead, the Worcestershire camp remains positive, “It’s still early days and there’s a lot of belief in the group,” Roderick said. “You’ve just got to take it session by session.”
On a personal note, Roderick is enjoying his cricket after a busy winter, having played every game in the previous campaign. “It’s just about contributing to the team and enjoying it,” he said. “I was disappointed with how I got out today, I was set and should’ve kicked on. But I’ve been enjoying my cricket and the winter cricket helped me stay in rhythm. Hopefully I can dig in during the second innings and put a big score on the board.”
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