[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, North Group

vs Lancashire

Old Trafford, Manchester

Worcs innings: The Pears won the toss and elected to bat on a warm spring day at Old Trafford.  It immediately seemed the right choice, as Riki Wessels launched a powerplay onslaught that helped carried the visitors into three figures with early sixes off Saqib Mahmood, Jimmy Anderson and Steven Croft.  Even when Matt Parkinson had the ex-Notts opener caught at wide mid-off for 72, and Tom Fell came and went the following over for just 2, giving Lancs a foothold in the game, Hamish Rutherford and Daryl Mitchell took up the baton and continued to score at above a run a ball for the next twenty overs.  When Rutherford swept Glenn Maxwell for six over midwicket to bring up his ton, he came the first Pears player since Phil Jaques in 2006 to score a century on both his first-class and List A debut; Mitchell soon followed him to the landmark, and at 292-2 with fourteen overs left, it seemed the Pears were set for a new record total.  But Matt Parkinson led the Red Rose fightback, breaking the record 3rd-wicket partnership and running through the middle and lower order as Worcs collapsed, with only Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox making it into double-figures.  When Mahmood bowled Charlie Morris with five balls remaining, Worcestershire's 367 all out, despite being a best-ever return against Lancashire and their second-best List A innings against a major county, felt like it might be a few dozen short with the home side wresting the momentum.

Lancs innings: But facing some tight, disciplined line-and-length bowling from the off, Lancs never really got up with the asking rate.  The early removal of Haseeb Hameed for just 5, edging low to first slip when he attempted to drive a full ball from Charlie Morris, set the tone.  Boundaries were hard to come by, and though several players got a start - Keaton Jennings in particular making a half-century in a patient, threatening knock - there was no real acceleration, and no big individual innings.  Jennings and Guest shared the biggest partnership, but both were removed by Wayne Parnell in consecutive overs, with the former attempting an ill-advised lap shot to fine leg and the latter comprehensively bowled as he shaped up for a big heave-ho.  With the Red Rose well behind the required rate, Glenn Maxwell briefly looked like he might make a game of it as he scored a brisk 35 including two fours and three sixes, but eventually an attempt to hit Dolly to the rope went wrong, and he was caught at mid-on.  The game was effectively ended as a contest when Dane Vilas was caught at midwicket off Mitch, and from there the tail departed within ten overs as Ross Whiteley pinned Rob Jones LBW, Mitch coaxed a steepling top-edge from Josh Bohannon, Saqib Mahmood was run out by a direct hit, and Josh Tongue polished things off with a successful LBW appeal against Jimmy Anderson and a fast delivery that rearranged the stumps of Matt Parkinson.  Lancashire all out for 242, and an emphatic win to get the ball rolling for Worcestershire in this year's competition.

Worcestershire WIN by a hundred and twenty-five runs

The Verdict: A successful return to white-ball cricket to go with the weekend's red-ball triumph, and all from an unchanged side.  Wise recruitment has ensured no Joe Clarke blues as Riki Wessels demonstrated his power as an opener, and Hamish Rutherford is as good a back-up as any for Callum Ferguson.  With the bowling figures impressive and the wickets shared equally around, there doesn't even look to be room in this side for Pat Brown; and that's perhaps the greatest testament to the Pears strength right now.

With a break on Good Friday, Worcestershire will be back in action on Easter Sunday when they visit Grace Road for the second weekend in a row to face Leicestershire.