Match Details VS Somerset
Metro Bank One Day Cup Semi-Final: Worcestershire Rapids v Somerset
Venue: Visit Worcestershire New Road
Date: Sunday 31st August
Scheduled start time: 11am
Worcestershire Rapids’ Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign reaches knockout territory on Sunday, as the Rapids face off against Somerset, playing for a place in the final.
Having been eliminated at the quarter-final stage of last year’s competition, the Rapids’ excellent form in this year’s campaign helped secure a home tie in the last four, with Sunday containing all the hallmarks of a 50-over classic.
Last Time Out
Worcestershire Rapids secured a home semi-final in the Metro Bank One Day Cup after cantering to a six-wicket win over Surrey at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
Making an unexpected appearance, Gus Atkinson top-scored for the visitors with 60, but Worcestershire’s bowlers took wickets with frequency to restrict their opponents to 266-6.
In reply, 19-year-old Dan Lategan registered a maiden List A fifty at the top of the order for the Rapids, before Kashif Ali (80) propelled the home side into pole position.
Skipper Jake Libby’s unbeaten half-century steered Worcestershire to a comfortable win, as the Rapids secured top spot in Group A and now wait to learn who they will face in Sunday’s semi-final.
Inside The Camp
Worcestershire bowler Tom Taylor says the whole squad “want to play a big part” as his side prepare to face Somerset in Sunday’s Metro Bank One Day Cup semi final.
After a dramatic end the group stage that saw the Rapids qualify as group winners on the final day, Taylor and his teammates were forced to wait until Thursday evening to learn of their opponents in the semi-final.
Securing top spot in Group A meant Worcestershire were able to bypass the quarter final phase and use the extra days this week to prepare for the clash with Somerset, which Taylor is ready and raring for.
“It’s exciting! When you get to the stage of this competition, you’re going to come up against some good teams and teams that are playing well.
“Somerset have been hurt a little bit I guess by The Hundred and are missing some of their usual big players, but it doesn’t take anything away from the really good players that they’ve got playing at the moment.
“Now we know we’re only two games away from winning the trophy.
“So it was good that we got the win the other day, which meant that we could go straight through. Somerset had to play Gloucester the day after, so hopefully we are all rested up well and we can all try and play a big part on Sunday and make it to that final at Trent Bridge.”
Taylor, who enjoyed a stellar start to the year in red-ball cricket, was one of the many Worcestershire bowlers heavily rotated during the start of the 50-over competition at the beginning of this month, as Alan Richardson used the time to manage the workloads oh his bowling artillery.
Taking 43 wickets in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship is no mean feat, but also came at a cost for the 30-year-old, bowling over 340 overs either side of a busy block of Vitality Blast action.
Having timed his run during the group stage of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, Taylor has shown signs of his best form returning, with the likes of Ben Allison, Jack Home, Ben Gibbon, Khurram Shahzad, Adam Finch and Ethan Brookes all enjoying game time over the past month.
However, the fan favourite was quick to add that the rotation amongst the side has not taken away from the quality within the side and says the momentum gathered across the summer has been vital.
“It’s the nature of this One Day Cup competition, I think it allows teams and other clubs to rotate. You get young bowlers in, and we’re blessed with the fact that, other than Hosey, we’ve had a really strong squad for this so it has allowed us to rotate.
“But that doesn’t take away from the quality that others bring and and we know, I thought as especially as a bowling unit, which is where the rotations happened we’ve all stepped up and played parts in different games.”
“I think we have taken that momentum that we had, I thought we had a decent white ball T20 campaign and were unlucky not to go through.
“A couple of close games that go either way and you make it through to a quarter final there.
“But I am so pleased to have carried on playing some good cricket in this competition and be rewarded with a semi-final.”
The Opposition
Previous result: Bt Gloucestershire by six-wickets (DLS)
Table finish: 2nd
One to watch: Thomas Rew
The loss of eight players to The Hundred is less than last season when Somerset still finished runners-up in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, this year they managed to win six of their eight group games, before overcoming highly-fancied side Gloucestershire in the quarter-final.
Last year’s rain-affected final loss was the third trophy to narrowly elude the team last summer and the bitter memory will strengthen resolve to go one better.
At the tender age of 17, Thomas Rew already boasts the fastest century for England Under-19s, made against India this summer, and looks set to follow elder brother James into the Somerset team on a regular basis, having made his debut in this season’s Vitality Blast.
Long rated one of the country’s brightest prospects, the One Day Cup has been a hotbed for the youngster to showcase his talents, averaging 51.33 across his nine innings in the tournament with a high-score of 84*.
Even without the players on duty in The Hundred, Somerset have enough experience blended with exciting young talent to rank among the favourites for the One-Day Cup.
Squad vs Somerset
