Worcestershire Rapids tasted defeat for just the second time in the Vitality Blast T20 this year as the visitors were pipped in the final over of a gripping contest against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
A superb display with the ball restricted the home side to just 148-8, with Tom Taylor (2-20) swarmed Gloucestershire’s batters at either end of the innings, whilst efficient middle over spells and disciplined fielding saw the hosts suffocated.
A disastrous start with the bat left the Rapids 28-4, but a 59-run stand between Adam Hose and Sikandar Raza (47) kept the visitors in the contest, with Worcestershire scrapping their way through, needing 18 from the final two overs.
Tom Taylor’s two boundaries meant it came down to the final ball, but Finch’s admirable effort wasn’t enough as the Rapids fell two-runs short in a grandstand finish.
On the road for just the second time this summer in the Vitality Blast T20, Brett D’Oliveira was able to name an unchanged eleven after Adam Finch was declared fit, having passed a late fitness test in the warm-up following his ankle injury sustained whilst fielding on Friday night.
Searching for a third win in as many matches, it was Tom Taylor who made the perfect start for the visitors when he castled D’Arcy Short for nought with a delicious swinging delivery with the third ball of the contest.
Despite having lost the toss, Taylor’s second wicket in as many overs saw the Rapids take charge of the early exchanges, reducing the hosts to 17-2 when Joe Phillips handed Kashif Ali a simple catch at deep point.
Picking up where he left off on Friday night, Adam Finch sent opener Miles Hammond packing for a quickfire 18, when his off-stump was uprooted just as he had looked to put his foot down.
29-3 inside the powerplay, D’Oliveira rotated his bowlers, with Usama Mir and Sikandar Raza joining proceedings to varying effect, before Finch returned to concede just one in the ninth over to counteract some powerful Charlesworth striking.
Tight lines with the ball and excellent work in the field to suffocate the home side slowed Gloucestershire’s progress, with Raza going for just seven from his second over as the innings reached the halfway point, 76-3.
Mir (1-36) hit back after an expensive first over to end Jack Taylor’s threatening cameo for 26 when Gareth Roderick took a swirling high catch when the batter’s attempted sweep shot was top-edged straight into the air.
Whilst the visitors continued to chip away and take wickets at regular intervals, the Gloucestershire run rate of eight an over was not of a concern to D’Oliveira, who had Ethan Brookes to thank for a typically economical middle over spell.
The big moment arrived courtesy of Worcestershire’s overseas star, Raza, who claimed the key wicket of Charlesworth for 49 when the spinner got one to hold in the surface and force a miscue that saw the batter hold out to Adam Hose at long-off.
Efficient overs from Brookes, Raza (1-19) and Mir helped the Rapids take control from the 14th over onwards, with Waite returning in the 18th to see the back of James Bracey (12) to reaffirm the visitors’ position of strength at Bristol.
Waite (2-33) capped off a superb effort in the field with the wicket of Dhariwal with the penultimate ball of the innings, as the Rapids headed off the field at the change of innings needing 149 runs to win a fourth game of the competition.
Skipper Brett D’Oliveira drilled an authoritative boundary straight back past Duan Jansen in the second over, but his fast start was halted for seven, with Isaac’s dismissal an over later making life hard for the Rapids early on.
Adam Hose and Kashif Ali attempted to lead the recovery act from 18-2, but when the latter spliced a heave to mid-off from a Jansen delivery, the Rapids were in some early peril.
After such an encouraging display with the bat against Glamorgan, it would have to be Hose who dragged his side out of trouble, when Ethan Brookes was caught at short third man without scoring to leave the Rapids in a heap at 28-4.
Hose was given a reprieve on the last ball of the powerplay when he was put down on seven at extra-cover, but the vice-captain survived as he and Raza picked off the bad ball whenever it was on offer, keeping the visitors in touch.
Working the ball into the gaps, Raza cashed in when he found a huge release shot midway through the ninth over as he plunged a Marchant de Lange length ball into the car park for a first maximum of the innings.
The fifth wicket partnership felt increasingly significant in determining the outcome of the match, as Raza moved into the 20s via a paddle sweep over short fine leg that helped the Rapids to 77-4 at the halfway stage.
The World’s number one-ranked T20 all-rounder began to hit his straps, launching another vast six into the stands, but was handed a lifeline a ball later when he was put down at mid-off by the Gloucestershire skipper.
There was to be no third chance for Hose, who was caught acrobatically at long-off by Jansen as he looked to step through the gears, departing for 14 and bringing an end to the 59-run fifth wicket stand.
Gareth Roderick joined Raza, with the equation seeing the Rapids require 59 off 48 balls as the match began to crescendo.
A no-ball four followed by a wide late in the 13th saw Worcestershire past 100, but Raza’s superb hand was ended on 47 when Taylor snuck one through his defences, with Matthew Waite following soon after as the away side stumbled at 107-7.
Wrestling hard against the momentum, Mir came and went for three, but an inspired 18th over that saw Roderick score three boundaries kept the Rapids in touch, with Tom Taylor for company and 18 required off the last two overs.
Taylor latched onto a short ball with the first ball of the 19th to find the fence, before the number 10 climbed into a straight drive that beat long on to make it eight to win off the last.
Roderick mistimed a drive and found mid-off for a vital 23, before new man Finch scraped a single from his first ball to hand the strike back to Taylor, but with four runs needed off the final ball, Finch’s attempted scoop popped up into the air as there was to be no fairytale ending for the Rapids, falling two runs short of victory.
