MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire Lightning v Worcestershire Rapids
Lancashire were frustrated by the weather at Northamptonshire last night, their clash with the Steelbacks washed out without a ball bowled at Wantage Road.
Lancashire Lightning v Worcestershire Rapids
Vitality Blast, North Group
Sunday July 7,. 2024, 2.30pm
Emirates Old Trafford
The Red Rose held onto second spot, and the point gained could end up being all important in the final reckoning. But there were a couple of wins for teams around them in the North Group which were no doubt an inconvenience.
Birmingham beat Yorkshire at Headingley to strengthen their position at the top of the table. They sit on 14 points, three clear of Lancashire in second.
Lancashire’s 11 points from nine games is a haul matched by Durham, who beat bottom-placed Worcestershire at home. The Lightning, however, have a superior net run-rate.
Next up are Worcestershire Rapids at Emirates Old Trafford. Last night, they failed to chase 191 against Durham at the Riverside, bowled out for 168 as they slipped from 84-1 in the 10th over.
That was their seventh defeat in nine matches this term.
Opposition
Worcestershire’s current campaign has, unfortunately for them, been a far cry from the ones in 2018 and 2019 when they won the title and were then beaten finalists.
The Rapids have won only two of their nine matches so far and sit bottom of the North Group. It’s not mathematically impossible for them to reach the top four yet, but they have absolutely no margin for error in the remaining five matches.
One of their two wins was against Lancashire at New Road at the end of May, by five wickets chasing 170.
Seam bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith from New Zealand is with the Rapids for the entirety of the 2024 season, playing all formats for them as an overseas player. He is supplemented by a specialist Blast overseas in West Indies leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Junior.
Former Lancashire batter Rob Jones didn’t play in last night’s match at Durham, despite being named in their match day squad.
That no batter has yet passed 200 runs for the Rapids in this season’s Blast is an indication of their struggles, while only seam bowling all-rounder Tom Taylor with 11 wickets has reached double figures.
Opposition player to watch
Tom Taylor is in his first campaign at this fourth county having previously played for Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, the latter from where he joined ahead of this summer.
Seamer Taylor, 29, is their leading wicket-taker in this season’s Blast with 11 - as aforementioned.
A product of Derbyshire’s Academy, he has not far off gone full journey around the Midlands counties.
A tall seamer with a best of 5-28 to his name, he is also a dangerous lower order hitter who is yet to consistently show it in T20 cricket with only one fifty from 56 matches. But he has got a 50-over century to his name.
Injury has disrupted his development since debut in first-team cricket for Derbyshire in 2014 - he only made his T20 debut six years later - but he has plenty of years ahead of him and the Red Rose will be wary of his threat tomorrow afternoon.
Previous meeting
On May 31, Worcestershire beat Lancashire by five wickets with three balls to spare chasing 170 at New Road, the Rapids securing the first of only two wins so far in this season’s Blast.
Lightning battled superbly from 13-3 in the fourth over to reach a competitive score of 169-5, with stand-in captain Steven Croft’s unbeaten 52 off 33 balls from the middle order the standout contribution.
Luke Wells hit 34, Matty Hurst 45 and Chris Green 31 not out.
In reply, Worcestershire captain Brett D’Oliveira led the way with 61, and the hosts reached 55-0 in the sixth over.
But, again, Lancashire battled back. Wells struck twice with his leg-spin, added to wickets for Green, Croft and Mitch Stanley as the Rapids fell to 148-5 in the 17th over.
Unfortunately, though, it wasn’t enough, with the hosts achieving the six they needed off the final over from Tom Aspinwall.
How’s Stat!
It is worth, at this stage, having a look at the most important statistics of all - the standings in the Vitality Blast table with five games remaining. All teams have played nine games so far, aside from Derbyshire, who have played eight.
Birmingham Bears are top with 14 points, while Lancashire and Durham both have 11.
Leicestershire are sat in fourth place on 10 points, just ahead of Northamptonshire courtesy of a superior net run-rate. The Steelbacks also have 10 points.
Outside of the top four, Yorkshire are sixth on eight points.
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire come next on six, while Worcestershire are bottom of the pile on four.