Match Details VS Yorkshire
Vitality T20 Blast Match Two: Worcestershire Rapids v Yorkshire
Venue: Visit Worcestershire New Road
Date: Sunday 1st June
Scheduled start time: 2:30pm
Worcestershire welcome Yorkshire, to Visit Worcestershire New Road on Sunday, looking to turn a positive performance into a positive result after Thursday’s narrow loss to Lancashire Lightning.
Having gone down by seven-runs in the short-format curtain raiser at Emirates Old Trafford, the Rapids provided plenty of reasons to be cheerful as both their batting and bowling units performed cohesively in a much-improved performance.
Last Time Out
Worcestershire Rapids fell seven runs short of a famous away victory at Emirates Old Trafford, as the visitor’s pursuit of 176 ended marginally short.
After a quick fire start from the home side, it looked as though Worcestershire could be chasing a big total, but an excellent repost in the middle overs from Fateh Singh and Ethan Brookes, clawed the momentum back for the visitors as they headed into the interval the happier of the two outfits.
Setting the pace well in response, Kashif Ali (39) and Brett D’Oliveira (30) looked to be taking their side to victory, but the chase stuttered from 93-3 after nine overs, to 152-6 heading into the final two.
When Ethan Brookes was dismissed for a valiant 28, any lasting hopes of an unlikely win faded, as the Rapids were restricted to 169-7, leaving Manchester empty handed.
Inside The Camp
Rapids “won’t change” blueprint of Cricket ahead of T20 clash with Yorkshire
Despite being pipped to the post on Thursday evening at Emirates Old Trafford, there will be no change in approach from Worcestershire Rapids, according to Head Coach, Alan Richardson.
A side who struggled with the transition into the limited overs format during last year’s competition, the Rapids underwhelmed, failing to qualify for the knockout stages.
This year however, after a tough start to life in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship, the change in format has come as a welcome one for the players and coaching staff alike.
Looking ahead to the first home fixture on Sunday, Richardson, is keen his side maintain their positive approach, despite falling just short in Manchester, against a side very in tune with how to play at home.
“I think we’ve got a bit of a blueprint of how we want to play our cricket and the mantra of how we want to do it, and it won’t change.
“Obviously, when you play at different venues against different sides, there are some real subtleties to the tactics. We’ve got some nice options we have left out, some good cricketers were left out today, so we’ll see how we go. And we’ll continue to march onwards towards Yorkshire.”
The Rapids have a point to prove at Visit Worcestershire New Road, not just in the context of the Vitality Blast North Group table, but also after losing both group stage matches against Sunday’s opponent’s last season.
After going down by eight-wickets at Headingly, the Rapids were in pole position to avenge the defeat in the reverse fixture at home, but a late blitz from the Yorkshire middle-order saw them chase down 205, and snatch victory with three balls to spare.
Having tested themselves in the high-octane arena that is Old Trafford, on Thursday, Richardson, says his side are looking forward to getting back to home comforts this weekend.
“It will be really nice. The weather looks good, so you know, fingers crossed we will have plenty of support there and we can put on a real good show.
“It’s a real opportunity to go out and play our shots and play with an element of courage and freedom, which is not always what you can do in a red ball game.”
When speaking earlier in the week, the Head Coach made it clear that becoming tough to beat at home is the hallmark of any side who wants to experience success in the hunt for a trophy and is determined for his side to make Visit Worcestershire New Road a fortress.
“We know what skills we posses and where our strengths are, just as much as we have learnt from last year where have needed to improve. A big part of that will be strengthening our home form.
“We love playing in front of our fans, but we want to grow that element of becoming tough to beat and teams not having an easy ride at our place.
“The supporters are always fantastic and I am fully confident ahead of Sunday that the atmosphere will be dialled up, we are determined to back that up and perform to give them something to shout about.
“The games come so thick and fast that a couple good or bad results can change your season in a matter of days, so it’s all eyes on Sunday and ensuring we can get off to the best possible start at home.”
The Opposition
Last season: Seventh in the group
Previous best: Finals Day (2012, 2016, 2022)
One to watch: Jordan Thompson
A squad packed with quality, both on the domestic and international scene, it is hard to believe Yorkshire have never got their hands on the Blast Trophy.
After coming close on three separate occasions, fans and players alike will be hoping 2025 is the year the club make the next step in tournament.
With star players Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid and Jonny Bairstow’s availability all pending England involvement, the onus will fall on the likes of Jordan Thompson, to spark his team into action.
Since making his Blast debut in 2018, Thompson has picked up 119 wickets at an average of just under 25, showing he is also more than capable of providing some lower order runs during that time.
The bowling all-rounder possesses an arsenal of deliveries, with his limited overs bowling variations taking him across the world, previously appearing in the Pakistan Super League and The Big Bash.
If they are able to balance player availability and build some consistency, there is no doubt Yorkshire’s squad has enough talent and experience to make them one of the teams competing in the group stage and beyond during this year’s edition of the Blast
Squad vs Yorkshire
