[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

vs Birmingham

T20 Blast, Northern Group

Edgbaston, Birmingham

A glorious Friday evening in Birmingham saw the Pears in town to try and avenge last month's disappointing defeat on home soil, and finish the season's encounters with the noisy neighbours on a high.

Worcs innings: Bears won the toss and put the Pears in to bat in the fine amber sunlight.  Again Worcestershire opted to put their faith in John Hastings and Joe Clarke as openers, and for the first time it really paid off with a big-hitting partnership through the powerplay.  Where Clarke brought the cultured shots Duke brought the brute biffing, and a short legside boundary was peppered with five sixes in a row before both batsmen holed out in the deep to leave the Pears 89-2 a little over six overs in, with Hastings having amassed a nineteen-ball half-century.  The going got trickier from thereon with Birmingham taking pace off the ball, and only Dolly really distinguished himself with a patient and intelligent knock of 35 not out.  A number of misfields from the Bears helped Worcestershire's cause, not least five penalty runs from the ball hitting the keeper's helmet at the death as they fought their way to 190-7 off the twenty; a score which felt under par given our bowling troubles, but better than nothing.

B'ham innings: The Worcestershire bowling attack has had some stick in this competition, not least from me, but tonight was a shining example of how it needed to be from day one.  Dolly and Mitchell Santner were crucial to reining the Bears in with wickets and tight overs (the latter dismissing Bell, Hain and Elliott and taking a stupendous diving catch to see off Sibley too), while Joe Leach regained a little of the form we expect from him and John Hastings took the high-pressure overs on his own broad shoulders and delivered.  Youngsters Josh Tongue and Pat Brown were expensive, though a touch unlucky, but there's no doubting how well the visitors bowled against a team who've taken all comers in this format so far, and who took it right down to the wire.  In the end, the five penalty runs off the keeper's helmet proved the difference between the sides.  The underdogs came out on top, and what a way to do it.

With that win Worcestershire live to fight another day in this competition, and though it's disappointing not to have done the clean sweep against the Bears this year, you can't turn your nose up at an Edgbaston victory two years in a row.  Magnificent stuff from the Pears.

Worcestershire WIN by five runs

Star Performer: In many ways it's harsh not to give the nod to Mitchell Santner, whose three wickets and diving catch went a long way to taking Birmingham apart, but his somewhat indifferent performance with the bat was overshadowed by a quickfire 51 and match-winning death bowling from John Hastings, and if the Pears are to stand any hope of qualification then they'll need more of the same from the Aussie in every match to come.

Next Match: No rest for the wicked as Worcestershire welcome champions Northants to New Road tomorrow in an absolute must-win game.