The holiday romance between Worcestershire Rapids and the Metro Bank One Day Cup stole centre stage throughout August, with an almost perfect group stage record followed up by a comprehensive semi-final victory booking the Rapids their place in the showcase finale at Trent Bridge, this weekend.
Recording six wins from eight games, with the last gasp tie away at Notts and defeat at home to a well-oiled Gloucestershire the only blemishes, the Rapids topped the group and powered into the semi-finals against Somerset.
After easing past the Taunton-based outfit by 131-runs, the form side in this year’s tournament have displayed the credentials that make them capable of going the distance and bringing home a first piece of silverware since 2018.
Jake Libby’s level-headed captaincy has guided through a crop of fearless youth, allowing the likes of Dan Lategan and Henry Cullen to flourish in the presence of experienced campaigners such as Brett D’Oliveira and Matthew Waite.
Ahead of Saturday’s tournament decider, we have taken an in-depth look at the numbers behind what could yet be a historic campaign.
The Batters:
During a sun-soaked month, the Rapids batters certainly cashed in, enjoying a dominant tournament with the bat, scoring over 275 in six of their nine matches to date.
Equally adept chasing or setting targets, the Rapids top-order have fired on all cylinders, Brett D’Oliveira and Dan Lategan striking up a formidable and well-balanced opening partnership.
D’Oliveria tops the run scoring charts with 448, closely followed by skipper Jake Libby (442) and Kashif Ali (365).
Libby’s stellar start to the tournament sees him boast the highest average amongst the batters at 63.14, closely followed by mid-tournament entry Dan Lategan, who himself is averaging a quite sensational 63.5.
All three of the side’s leading run-scorers boast centuries to their name, with D’Oliveira’s stunning 138 in the run-chase at Derbyshire one of the most aesthetically pleasing knocks in a Rapids short for many a moon.
Libby wasted no time getting his campaign up and running with his highest score of the tournament to date with an unbeaten 112 against Nottinghamshire in the first group game, the same day Kashif registered a century of his own on his way to a season high-score of 101, as the pair added 180 in a seismic fourth wicket stand.
The Bowlers:
The Rapids batters are not alone in enjoying a productive tournament however, with the bowlers enjoying an equally impressive campaign.
With rotation prevalent throughout, Worcestershire’s seam attack have shared the workload en route to the final, starting the tournament with a bang by bowling out Essex, Hampshire and Derbyshire in successive matches.
Having taken 17 wickets along the way, Ben Allison has enjoyed the most fruitful competition to date, claiming his scalps at a fraction over 17 apiece.
Ethan Brookes and Khurram Shahzad (both 12) are the Rapids’ next two most potent wicket takers, in what has been an impressive tournament for the seam bowling unit.
Allison returned his best figures of 6-35 against his former employers, Essex, on a memorable day for the 25-year-old in the second match of this year’s competition.
The semi-final victory over Somerset proved to be the most memorable day for both Khurram and Brookes, with the pair collecting 4-36 and 3-16 respectively.
Saturday’s showdown at Trent Bridge provides the perfect stage for Worcestershire to deliver one more complete performance, as the Rapids players and supporters alike hope to bring an end to the agonising seven-year wait for silverware and serve as a timely reminder to all those watching that the Rapids are back where they belong.
