Matthew Waite continued his recent fine form as his outstanding contributions with the bat and the ball against Essex, propelling his side to a convincing win inside three-days of play.
Waite’s batting performances both proved vital, with his first innings total of 73 the top-score on the card but showed his ability to adapt to the situation when he faced 45 balls for his eight runs during the second innings, supporting Ethan Brookes when the home side needed it most.
The Yorkshireman wasn’t done however, registering career-best figures of 9-53 in the match, tearing the away side’s batting line-up apart with some ruthless spells across the game.
Despite his record-breaking figures, Waite was quick to praise his teammates for their input during the Rothesay County Championship fixture.
“I’m over the moon. More so that we’ve got a win, and I’m really pleased for everybody involved, the lads and all the staff. We’ve obviously had a tough start to the season, but I’m so happy for everyone up there, because we’ve worked hard for that and it feels really good!
“I think a lot of credit must go to my mate, Jonesy (Rob Jones). I’m so proud of him. He’s worked hard on a lot of things over the winter, so to get 50 on that pitch, and even just to hang around with the lower order after he soaked up so many balls, was so important.
“As the ball gets older and a bit softer, maybe it got a little bit easier towards the lower half of the innings, but take nothing away from those efforts.”
In a theme across the squad, Waite, had shown glimpses of his best form heading into the clash with Essex, but with Worcestershire lacking cutting edge, a win had evaded his side.
A composed 87* that clinched the Pears to a draw earlier in the season away at Somerset, had been Waite’s best contribution with the bat, but has failed to return to such heights since.
An honest conversation with a long-time friend was the remedy, Waite explained.
“ I’ve been struggling with the bat. I sent a message to my friend last week after the Sussex game and I said, “I’m struggling. Can you see anything?”
“Jared Warner, by the way, he wants me to put that on record! He told me that my hands are too far out and I was coming across the ball – he saw it straight away. I’ve been working on that this week and it seemed to help.”
While batting may have been an area of focus for the Yorkshireman heading into the Rothesay County Championship match with the Chelmsford-based outift, his bowling has been error-free.
Although critics may have had question marks over his wicket taking capabilities, the man himself was aware of what a good rhythm he was in and maintained his calm approach – reaping the rewards with a sensational display of seam bowling that ripped apart the away team’s chase before it ever got going on day three.
There was one small change to his technique however, that turned his pressure into wickets.
“I feel that my bowling’s actually been quite good at the crease. I’ve just changed how I’m bowling a little bit, not trying to swing it as much and just trying to seam it a little bit more which has helped.
“It’s a little bit simpler, really, because you are just trying to bowl it straight, use a bit of wobble seam, which I didn’t do for the first couple of games, and since then, it’s changed my fortunes a little bit.
“That’s the beauty of the seam movement. Even as the bowler, you don’t really know which way it’s going to go. Obviously the wicket was quite helpful for the bowlers, but all the lads have done brilliantly this weekend.
The Visit Worcestershire New Road faithful with be hoping that Waite and his teammates can extend their good form into this week’s fixture, as they entertain rivals Warwickshire.
