Worcestershire Head Coach Alan Richardson said he “couldn’t be prouder of the lads” after their superb efforts in the Metro Bank One Day Cup group stages secured tomorrow’s quarter-final meeting with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Rapids played the entire competition without eight injured players including the bulk of their established bowling attack.
But a mixture of the remaining fit senior players performing at their best and young unproven players making their mark saw them triumph in finishing second in Group A with five wins from eight games.
Brought to you by JPM Broking Services.
Now the Rapids will look to continue their form against their local rivals, with an away semi-final against Group B winners Glamorgan at stake on Sunday for the winners.
Richardson said: “We look at every tournament to be as competitive as we can. We had some challenges at the start of this to make that a little bit harder for us.
“But the senior pros have stood up brilliantly well and played some magnificent roles in some match-winning performances.
“The lads who have come into the squad have adapted and adjusted brilliantly well and have held themselves together really well in terms of playing first class cricket.
“We had six debutants during the first game and eight or nine in the tournament so full credit. I couldn’t be prouder of the lads.”
Richardson said: “Am I surprised we qualified? I wouldn’t say surprised but the expectations have shifted compared to if we had a fully fit squad at the start.
“But with every challenge you have there is an amazing opportunity for someone else and some of those guys have come in and done really well.
“We’ve rotated Jack Home who has done magnificently well and got 15 wickets in four games.
“It is always an opportunity for someone else and those guys have come in and taken it.”
Richardson us relishing the opportunity to take on the Bears.
He said: “It is an exciting opportunity for us on Friday. We’ve had some good contests there over the last couple of years.
“In my first year back here, we had an amazing game of 50 over cricket and some good T20 contests as well.
“It will be nice just to pop up the M5 and have a go at them on Friday.”
Richardson admits he is a big supporter of the One Day Cup and Worcestershire have won 11 and lost just five of their 16 group games in the past two years in qualifying for the knockout stages.
He said: “I’m a huge fan of 50 over cricket, we’ve had some fantastic games so far this year and that continued on Wednesday against Lancashire when it could have gone either way.
“We don’t like to lose and haven’t been on the wrong end of too many results in this tournament.
“In terms of performance-wise, we did pretty well. There are always bits of the game where you want to do a little bit better when you look back, especially when the game is that close.
“In terms of a performance, pretty good, something we can still build on.”
Home is expected to come back into consideration to face Warwickshire after being rested at Emirates Old Trafford.
Fellow pace bowler Tom Sturgess was also rotated and given a break for the Lancashire encounter.
Worcestershire Rapids
1 Fateh Singh
2 Jake Libby (C)
3 Josh Cobb
7 Ed Pollock
9 Gareth Roderick (W)
10 Tommy Sturgess
11 Rehaan Edavalath
12 Tom Taylor
12 Henry Cullen
24 Jack Home
25 Hishaam Khan
41 Harry Darley
42 Tom Hinley
77 Ethan Brookes
88 Rob Jones
