Just as important, Worcestershire County Cricket Club upset favorite Somerset in the semifinal of the One-Day Cup 7-0. They pulled off a spectacular upset by 131 runs, courtesy of the DLS method. The match took place at New Road, where Worcestershire set a formidable target of 275 runs for Somerset.
Daniel Lategan was the pick of the performers for Worcestershire, with the willow, scoring a List A-best 78 runs from 82 deliveries. His innings was key to Worcestershire laying down a strong enough platform to post a challenging total. Lategan was pleased with his day’s work after admitting to the bumpy environment of New Road posed a tough test.
“That was amazing, I couldn’t be happier. It was a bit tough early on with a bit of movement like we know there always is at New Road but we started off really well.” – Dan Lategan
Alongside Lategan’s glorious batting, the innings saw wicketkeeper Henry Cullen and allrounder Matthew Waite make valuable contributions. Cullen finished with 32 runs from 30 balls, and Waite contributed 24 from 26 balls. Nobody had the impact on the game that Tom Taylor did. He hit three maximums and ended with 22 not out from only 10 deliveries.
Somerset’s bowling attack made a decent fist of it, with Ben Green their most effective bowler. He took a haul of 4 wickets for 52 runs. At the other end, Jacks’ partner in crime Jack Leach offered vital support, taking 2 for 28 in his 10 overs. Building pressure soon became Leach’s specialty, and he bowled Rob Jones and trapped Adam Lategan lbw to continue shaping the game.
Somerset found it hard to build on their initial thrust. Somerset coach Paul Tweddle took responsibility for the failings of his team during the match, himself pointing at their lack of attacking practice.
“We have been outplayed – we started pretty well with the ball but fair play to them they came at us hard and played some really good shots in that first 10 overs.” – Paul Tweddle
After setting their total Worcestershire’s bowlers went out to defend it fiercely poised. Khurram Shahzad, a consistent standout performer all season long, was in fine form, as well, taking key wickets. His began his spell by being erratic, with his first delivery going wide of the stumps, and one of those wides going for four runs.
Somerset’s batsmen struggled to find their rhythm in response to Worcestershire’s total. James Rew was the only Somerset top order batter to come up with a resistance, scoring 47 runs before being out. Batting under pressure proved too much for the lineup, as wickets kept tumbling in quick succession.
Ethan Brookes soon fell lbw trying to sweep Lammonby, extending Somerset’s misery by arguably the most cruel of dismissals. A combination of disciplined bowling and sharp fielding from Worcestershire ultimately proved too much for Somerset to overcome.
Eventually, Somerset’s innings fell apart under the pressure of the required run rate and sensational bowling from Worcestershire. All out for just 144 runs, it was a pretty comfortable victory for Worcestershire.
Following this brilliant win, Worcestershire has earned a place in the finals of the One-Day Cup. I think that their strength and depth as a team really comes through! As they look forward to competing for the championship title, their performance against Somerset stands as a testament to their capabilities.
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