MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire vs Worcestershire Rapids
Lancashire are on the board in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Lancashire v Worcestershire Rapids
Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Group A
Wednesday August 14, 2024, 11am
Emirates Old Trafford
Their win over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road on Sunday, by just four runs, may have meant little in terms of the here and now, with the Red Rose bottom of the table having only won one of their seven games so far in this campaign.
But it meant a huge amount in the bigger picture.
That was a day young gun Josh Boyden will never forget, the 20-year-old hitting 44 not out off 35 balls down the order in our 240-9 before taking the new ball and claiming two wickets in the Steelbacks’ 236-8.
It was only his second first-team fixture.
Boyden and the Red Rose return home to Emirates Old Trafford to wrap up the campaign tomorrow, when they take on the role of spoilers given visitors Worcestershire are very much in the knockout hunt.
Realistically, they are all but qualified for at least the quarter-finals - currently sat second with five wins from seven.
If their day goes perfectly, they could still leapfrog Somerset to top the group and advance directly to the semi-finals. If they have a disastrous day, they could fall out of the top three altogether.
Net run-rate would determine either of those scenarios.
But, put simply, a win would secure them at least second place and a home tie in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Nothing personal, but Lancashire will be desperate to do all they can to give Worcestershire a headache and end a difficult campaign with back-to-back successes.
Opposition:
Since winning the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1991, beating Lancashire in the final, Worcestershire have won the old National (Sunday) League in 2007 and the Vitality Blast in 2018.
They had a T20 Blast campaign to forget this summer, winning only four of 14 matches, but they were beset by unavailability and injury issues. That remains so, hence why their One-Day Cup performances have been so impressive over the last few weeks.
Take Sunday’s win over Hampshire as an example. They beat their fellow knockout contenders by eight wickets chasing 165 at New Road.
Their six-man bowling attack of Tommy Sturgess, Hishaam Khan, Jack Home, Ethan Brookes, Fateh Singh and Tom Hinley now have just 92 first-team appearances between them, and Singh isn’t their player. The spinner is on loan from Nottinghamshire.
If they go on and win the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, it would be a popular success in many ways given this competition’s tag as a vehicle for developing players.
Their batting line-up is much more experienced.
They’re captained by Jake Libby, who is one of three batters who have topped the 300-run mark. He has 331, while openers Ed Pollock and Gareth Roderick have 320 and 385 respectively.
The opening partnership has been a real strength for the Rapids this campaign. Another contributor is former Lancashire batter Rob Jones, though he has only hit one fifty in seven matches, whereas Pollock and Roderick have shared three hundreds.
Opposition player to watch:
Wicketkeeper-opener Gareth Roderick is currently sat as the competition’s third leading run-scorer with 385 from seven matches at an average of 64.16.
He has posted scores of 115 and a career best 152 not out, achieving success in dynamic but not gung-ho fashion.
A South African-born British passport holder, Roderick, 32, made his senior debuts in all three formats for KwaZulu-Natal in 2011 before earning a deal with Gloucestershire ahead of the 2013 season.
He joined Worcestershire ahead of 2021 and has had a particularly outstanding Metro Bank campaign.
If Lancashire are going to win their second game in succession tomorrow, you feel they have to limit Roderick’s impact on this fixture - and not just with the bat, but with gloves too.
Previous meeting:
Lancashire beat Worcestershire at Emirates Old Trafford in the 2022 group stage, en-route to the final.
The Red Rose won by six wickets chasing a 249 target after some good work led by three wickets for Luke Wells with his leg-spin as the Rapids were limited to 248-9, including 58 for ex-Lancashire opener Taylor Cornall and 61 for Kashif Ali.
Danny Lamb also struck twice for Lancashire, whose chase was then anchored - somewhat ironically in hindsight given who he will play for tomorrow - by an excellent 85 not out from Rob Jones.
Wells also continued his good day with 49 opening the batting, with Jones coming in at 96-2 in the 17th over to see his county over the line.
Lancashire won with five overs to spare.
What they said:
This last week has been one that Josh Boyden will never forget, the fledging fast bowler from Euxton making his Red Rose debut and starring with bat and ball in a win.
When Boyden starred for England in the Under 19s World Cup in the Caribbean in early 2022, claiming 15 wickets to help them reach the final, many would have expected a first-team bow to have come sooner.
But injuries have played their part; a stress fracture, a hernia, for example.
Thankfully, it has been worth the wait for the 20-year-old left-arm quick, who hails from just outside Chorley and plays his league cricket for Liverpool Competition side Wigan.
Boyden, who spent his most recent winter playing club cricket in Australia, debuted against Middlesex at Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday, returning 2-35 from eight encouraging overs in a defeat.
“It just makes it that extra special,” he said of debuting at Emirates Old Trafford.
“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of.
“My mum and dad were there as well, which just made it mean even more.”
But he usurped that with 44 not out and two more wickets in the win at Northampton on Sunday.
“It's been an unreal past few days,” he continued.
“It's been a long two-years struggle with injuries. So big thanks to the strength and conditioning team for getting me back on the field, and I'm just happy to get the opportunity to showcase my skills and do alright.”
Boyden was named in Lancashire’s squad for the opening Championship game of the season against Surrey in April, but had to remain patient for his chance.
“I looked after myself while I was out in Australia,” he added.
“I had a pretty good preseason, which put me in good stead for the first squad against Surrey at home, and then it's just been about performing in the twos.”
How’s Stat!
Lancashire have handed first-team debuts to six players through this Metro Bank One-Day Cup, and that’s not including the likes of overseas players Chris Green and Venkatesh Iyer, who have made their club debuts in this format.
The first-team debuts have come for Charlie Barnard, Josh Boyden, Rocky Flintoff, Kesh Fonseka, Harry Singh and Ollie Sutton.