Tag Futebol

The Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi has been reinstated as an international venue with effect from January 1

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2010The Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi has been reinstated as an international venue with effect from January 1, the ICC has said. This means it is formally cleared to host the four World Cup matches scheduled at the ground next year.The decision follows an inspection by Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, who observed the pitch first-hand during a Ranji match between Delhi and Gujarat over the past week.The venue was suspended as an international ground following the abandonment of an ODI between India and Sri Lanka in December 2009, and has been under a process of repair monitored by the ICC. Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, said it was pleased with the remedial work carried out and felt the playing surfaces were now back to the standard expected for international matches.The DDCA, to protect the pitch, has decided minimise cricket at the venue ahead of the World Cup, including shifting the next two scheduled Ranji matches out of the Kotla. “We want to keep the wicket in good shape, so [we thought] why not move the Ranji games to other grounds that are available,” Venkat Sundaram, the chairman of the BCCI’s grounds and wickets committee, told Cricinfo. “There are 12 days of cricket scheduled for this track before the World Cup and they can lead to a lot of wear and tear on the wicket, with players running onto it with spikes. “He also said the onset of winter meant the grass won’t grow very quickly, so it would be better to let the turf settle rather than have a lot of cricket on it before the World Cup.The last international played at the Kotla, on December 27 2009, was abandoned after 23.3 overs after the match officials decided the pitch was of “extremely variable bounce and too dangerous for further play”. The immediate fallout of the fiasco was the sacking of the BCCI’s grounds and wickets committee, followed by the resignation of their Delhi counterparts.

It isn’t only the crowds that Kevin Pietersen is having to battle in South Africa, but also his own form after a four-month injury lay-off follow Achilles surgery

Cricinfo staff30-Nov-2009It isn’t only the crowds that Kevin Pietersen is having to battle in South Africa, but also his own form after a four-month injury lay-off following Achilles surgery. His innings during the one-day series have been unconvincing, but given the career he has already had, expectations were always going to be high as soon as he returned to the England side.His soft chip to midwicket at Port Elizabeth ended a six-ball 3 in which he had already been dropped at long leg off a top-edged hook. At Centurion Park he made 29 off 19 balls in the second Twenty20, his comeback match, but managed just 4 in the one-day international on the same ground. His top score of 45 came in Cape Town but, although there was the odd glimpse of his usual style, he looked like a player feeling his way back.The camp, though, remain unconcerned about Pietersen’s results. Before the fourth ODI, Paul Collingwood said it was only to be expected that he would struggle for a while after such a long time out and now the coach, Andy Flower, has said he it was always going to be a challenge for Pietersen.”I wouldn’t be too worried. I think he’s going to take a little while to get back in form,” Flower told reporters after England arrived in Durban. “Being out for four months – when he’s used to playing all the time – I think is a challenge he’s going to have to overcome.”He’s a high achiever, an outstanding sportsman – and he will be very impatient to get back into his dominant ways again. I think we should be patient with him, because it’s not easy just to walk back in and dominate straight away.”Given Pietersen’s record of performing best when the pressure is on, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him emerge from his early problems during the final one-day international at Durban – his old home ground for Natal and where he first encountered England during the 1999-2000 tour and made his intentions known about switching allegiance.”He tends to want to do it his way,” Flower said. “That’s part of his strength, his make-up – what makes him a different and very powerful player for us. He will score heavy runs on this tour, and maybe Friday is the day. It could be his day.”

The left-arm spinner has been ruled out of Tasmania’s clash against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield

AAP17-Feb-2025Matthew Kuhnemann will proceed with imminent tests on his bowling action, despite a thumb injury ruling him out of Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia.One week after being cited by ICC officials for having a suspect action, Kuhnemann was expected to return to cricket for Tasmania in Adelaide on Tuesday. But those plans have since been scuppered, with the spinner not medically cleared to play for Tasmania after the dislocated thumb he suffered in the BBL.AAP understands Kuhnemann has not suffered a fresh injury, and the decision is a precautionary one after he played through the issue in Galle.Despite sitting out the Adelaide match, Kuhnemann will be required to complete ICC testing in the next fortnight because the injury is not on his bowling (left) hand. Officials have remained tight-lipped on the details surrounding Kuhnemann’s test for the sake of his privacy, but it is expected to go ahead in the next fortnight.Related

• Kuhnemann undergoes ICC testing, awaits fate on action

• Kuhnemann reported for suspect action after Sri Lanka Test

• 'It will always be there' – Botha warns Kuhnemann after suspect action report

The biomechanical testing will also be able to be completed at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, despite the ICC preferring players head overseas for assessment.Kuhnemann will complete the tests under the watchful eye of ICC body experts, with markers on his arm and several cameras filming. He will need to bowl at a similar speed and with similar ball revolutions to what he did in Sri Lanka, where he took 16 wickets at an average of 17.18.The ICC will then take a matter of weeks to determine if Kuhnemann’s action is legal, or if his arm straightens by more than the allowable 15 degrees. The 28-year-old is believed to be in reasonably good spirits, with questions still circling about the timing of him being reported after eight years in professional cricket.”All we can do as a group is throw our support behind him,” Tasmania captain Jordan Silk said. “He has obviously had a fantastic couple of weeks away with the Aussie side, and was a big factor in them wining that series over there.”It’s come as a shock to a lot of people, but all we can do as an organisation is wrap our arms around him and look forward to having him back around the group.”Silk echoed the words of stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith, believing Kuhnemann would be cleared by the tests.ICC rules allow bowlers to play domestic cricket while under the microscope, but ban them from international matches. If Kuhnemann is cleared he will be able to continue bowling, but if he fails the test he will be banned until he can prove he has changed his action to meet guidelines.”He’s still a quality bowler for us and someone we expect to have an impact later in the year,” Silk said. “We’re really confident that process will go smoothly and we can welcome him back to our change-rooms and have him be a big part of our season.”A win for Tasmania against table-topping South Australia would keep them in the race for a spot in the Shield final, with one win separating second and sixth on the ladder.Beyond this summer, Kuhnemann would be a strong chance to be in Australia’s squad for the tour of West Indies in June, if his action is cleared.

Matthew Wade had given the home side a platform with a superbly paced century

AAP29-Oct-2023Tasmania pulled off the highest successful run chase in their Sheffield Shield history in a memorable three-wicket triumph over Queensland.Set 432 to win, they secured the victory with just 10 balls left in a thrilling conclusion to the match at Blundstone Oval in Hobart on Sunday.Unheralded lower-order batters Bradley Hope (48 not out) and Jarrod Freeman (47 not out) added an unbeaten 75-run eighth-wicket partnership to guide Tasmania to their second win of the season.Related

• New South Wales' Sheffield Shield misery continues with MCG thrashing

• Paris takes 11 in the match as Western Australia surge to victory

Freeman smashed a huge six off former Tasmania player Gurinder Sandhu to complete the chase in the penultimate over.”I’ve never heard him [Hope] scream like that at the end there,” Freeman said. “He’s pretty pumped. That’s pretty special. I sort of thought if fielders are up straight, I’m going to try and get it [for six] and luckily enough I did. How good?”The run chase tops Tasmania’s previous best in a winning cause when David Boon’s 152 propelled them 402 for 6 against Western Australia at the WACA in March 1996.It was also the sixth-highest chase in the history of the Shield, which started in 1892-93, and the best since Queensland hit 471 for 5 to beat South Australia in 2014.Starting the day at 88 for 2, Tasmania looked no chance of winning until Matthew Wade and Beau Webster came together at 158 for 4Wade, who was recalled to Australia’s T20I squad on Saturday, carved out an impressive 105 for his 19th first-class century to boost Tasmania’s chances. Together with Webster, the pair put on a 164-run partnership before Wade was lbw to Mitchell Swepson.Michael Neser, who missed day two after flying home to Brisbane for personal reasons, looked to have sunk Tasmania when he bowled Webster.But Hope, whose best score in five previous first-class matches was 27 not out, looked assured at the crease with the big-hitting Freeman.Queensland go to 1-2, after opening their account for the season with a convincing victory over Victoria last week.”We couldn’t contain them,” Queensland coach Wade Seccombe said. “I think that’s one thing we could look back on and reflect and say there were moments in the game where we could have controlled the scoreboard a little bit better.”If we hadn’t done that it would have put a bit more pressure on the way they went about their scoring, but credit to them, they didn’t allow it.”

Team-mate hopes his example can encourage others to seek help when they need it

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Aug-20222:11

Ben Stokes – ‘Everything still has an effect, even years down the road from the event happening’

Joe Root has praised the honesty of Ben Stokes for talking about his struggles with anxiety and believes the England captain’s openness on the subject will continue the progress made against the stigma of mental health.Speaking in his new documentary film, “Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes”, the 31-year-old has opened up about the battles endured, including a series of panic attacks stemming from a build-up of personal trauma over the previous few years. That came to a head in 2021, when Stokes took a break midway through the summer for his well-being having struggled to come to terms with his father’s passing the year before, during which period he contemplated walking away from the game entirely.The allrounder was keen to talk on all matters, good and bad, without sugarcoating. As such, he ends up speaking extensively on working through his issues initially, and the constant management of his anxiety through medication and professional help.Root, who features in the film, watched it for the first at the premiere on Monday in London, along with the rest of the England squad, who then arrived in Manchester on Tuesday morning ahead of the second Test against South Africa, which begins here on Thursday.. While he admits it was a tough watch, Root envisages many who watch the film, whether into cricket or otherwise, will leave with a greater sense of the man and a reaffirmation of the importance of asking those close to you how they are.”I think it’s exactly what you’ve come to see from Ben as a leader,” Root said at Emirates Old Trafford, where England will look to square the three-match series. “How honest he is, what he expects of everyone else is stuff he would be willing to do himself. I think it shows great courage, great bravery to come out and speak openly about that stuff and some of the struggles he has personally been through. We were all there with him going through it, it’s not easy to see a close friend and team-mate like that but look at him now. It’s great to have him leading this team and making Test cricket so enjoyable to play and to watch.Joe Root and Ben Stokes share a joke in the wake of England’s victory over New Zealand at Lord’s•Getty Images

“I think with any of your mates you want to get around them, make sure you do what you can to help. That goes within the dressing room environment and away from the game as well. You just want to do what you can to help out.”It’s quite powerful for people to see. Sometimes it’s okay not to be okay, to ask for help is perfectly alright and a brave thing to do. For someone like Ben to do that – hopefully if there are people out there struggling or finding things difficult, they can gain the courage to ask for that help.”Related

• Root bats for Stokes on and off field after 'powerful' documentary revelations

• Dean Elgar revels in South Africa's 'positivity' after winning Lord's Test in style

• Ben Stokes urges England to keep the faith as rollercoaster hits first dip

• Brendon McCullum wants England to go 'harder' after regime's first setback

• Ben Stokes on his new documentary: 'I said, I want everything in there – the good and the not-such-good stuff'

Root also revealed he knew of the possibility Stokes was considering leaving the game. During Stokes’ time away, Root was one of the few people in the England dressing room still in regular contact. As captain, he had been shorn of his right-hand man for the series against India, before being bolstered by his return for the Ashes that winter. A 4-0 defeat to Australia, then a 1-0 loss in the Caribbean was ultimately Root’s lot, before Stokes took over in May.”There were discussions at different points, but they are things should be kept between the two of us,” he said. “It’s been very powerful watching that documentary – you forget how much he has been through in such a short space of time. It’s very brave to lay himself as bare as he has done. It’s very powerful for anyone watching, to see someone who at times looks superhuman and can do things that other players can’t do – it shows great leadership to put yourself out there and express some of the difficulties he’s had to go through.”

With ODI form still flying, batsman seeks permanent home at No. 4 for T20 World Cup, No. 3 for Ashes

Valkerie Baynes24-Mar-2021Jonny Bairstow’s “easy chemistry” with fellow opener Jason Roy was on show despite England’s heavy defeat to India in the first match of their ODI series in Pune on Tuesday – and Bairstow wants the chance to settle as comfortably elsewhere in the order for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.A 135-run partnership between Bairstow and Roy – their 12th century opening stand in ODIs – had England well on track to reach their target of 318 before a middle order sorely missing the resting Joe Root fell away to leave them short as they slumped to a 66-run defeat. Bairstow scored 94 off 66 balls and Roy 46 off 35 while no other England batsman passed 30.With his position as ODI opener firmly established, Bairstow is keen to convince the selectors to persist with him at No. 4 in T20Is, having been moved down to that spot in South Africa late last year, and at No. 3 in Tests, despite his struggles there earlier on this tour of Asia.Related

• Blaming Jonny Bairstow for England's defeat would ignore wider context

• Jonny Bairstow's middle-order success vindicates England's reshuffle

• Debutants Prasidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya star in India's 66-run win

• On show in Pune: England and India's differing methods of ODI batting

• Virat Kohli rises to No. 4 in T20I rankings for batsmen

Bairstow was unbeaten in both of England’s victories during their 3-2 T20I series defeat to India with scores of 26 and 40 not out.”I was happy in the T20s, the runs I scored there batting at No. 4 and contributing, being there at the end in two of the games was really pleasing to me,” Bairstow said on Wednesday. “If you take South Africa in, to be at the end at Newlands and the end in two of these games here, I’m pretty happy with how that’s going.”It’s a different role, but at the same time, it’s a good role to be in because you’ve got an opportunity to be there at the end, winning games.”And while 28 runs from four Test innings in India – including three ducks – and, before that, scores of 47, 35 not out, 28 and 29 in two Tests in Sri Lanka have Bairstow’s designs on the No.3 spot for the Ashes at the end of this year looking less secure, he made made his case verbally to be given a chance during the English summer to make it his own.Jonny Bairstow heaves one over the leg side•Getty Images

“I’m very keen to do that,” he said. “People will have spoken about the last two Tests here but, prior to that in Sri Lanka, to score the runs and come in at three, and previously at three for England I’ve been pretty happy. Hopefully I do get more than four games there… even with those lower scores in the last couple of Tests, average-wise, it was still okay.”There wasn’t anyone in those last two games that exactly lit it up, was there? So a pink-ball Test match at a new venue that nobody scored any runs at, and then obviously the last game, I thought, an umpire’s call decision that didn’t necessarily go my way in the first innings, but to be honest with you, I’m happy with where my game’s at and how I’m striking the ball.”I do hope that that is the case and I do get an opportunity to be batting at three going forward, because I do feel that my game’s in a good enough place. Having four games in the winter on the subcontinent, which is never going to be easy, full stop… but going back home in the summer to England and then moving forward with the experiences that I’ve had over in Australia. I think going to Australia with a wealth of experience, as we know when you’re entering a major tournament, gives you a better chance of having success over there.”So yeah, that is something that I do want to do, want to pursue, and hopefully I am given the opportunity.”Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow had England in control of the run-chase•BCCI

Bairstow’s most pressing task, however, is to help England win their next ODI, also in Pune, on Friday to keep the three-match series alive.He took the lead role in the first match, moving from 6 off 18 at the end of the fifth over to 28 off 24 by the end of sixth as he plundered 22 runs off debutant Prasidh Krishna, which he said was indicative of his understanding with Roy.”It’s an easy chemistry,” Bairstow said. “There’s no great shakes to it. We speak about very simple things out in the middle and keep things very simple. It’s a very go-with-how-the-game-pans-out approach.”It wasn’t a crash, bang, wallop start. People might think, ‘they’ve gone from ball one’, but in actual fact we hadn’t. There was probably three overs, four overs at the start where it was very much toned back and we went a different route.”Understanding each other enough to know that and not putting pressure on each other to have to go after it because we’ve got complete trust in each other’s games in order to know that one over and you’ve caught it up. I think that runs throughout the side, but having that trust in each other’s games to just go right, let’s stay calm, stay relaxed and not pile pressure on each other is the important factor of it.”

Club rules out appeal after concluding “it is in the best interest of all parties to move forward”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2019Somerset have confirmed that they will not be appealing against the decision to dock them 12 points for preparing a substandard pitch for the 2019 Championship title decider against Essex.The ECB’s Cricket Disciplinary Committee (CDC) imposed the deduction last month after rating the Taunton surface as ‘poor’, noting its “excessive unevenness of bounce”. While Somerset accepted the charge, they disputed the suggestion that the pitch was not the best they could have produced.However, after reviewing the CDC’s full report and relevant procedures, the club has decided not to appeal because of the “heavy burden of proof” required to overturn the original verdict.”This conclusion has been reached because it is clear that, in order to overturn the decision, the club would have to demonstrate conclusively to the Panel who originally implemented the sanctions that they had come to the wrong decision,” a Somerset statement said. “Such a heavy burden of proof is extremely difficult for any appellant to discharge.”The club are very disappointed with the panel’s decision but has concluded that it is in the best interest of all parties to move forward.”We can now focus on preparing the team and the venue for the demands of the season ahead, with a specific focus on performing successfully, with a highly talented and competitive group of players and a clear focus on developing broader strategies to support this objective through our teams off the field. The club notes the strong message the panel ruling sends to all first-class counties.”Somerset finished the 2019 season second in Division One, 11 points behind Essex, after drawing a rain-affected final game – extending the club’s wait for a maiden Championship title. They will begin 2020 on minus-12 points, with a further, suspended 12-point deduction hanging over them.Somerset’s captain, Tom Abell, denied that the club had set out to produce an up-and-down pitch, but said they would have to deal with the points penalty “as best we can”.”It’s a big blow, nobody wants to start the season 12 points adrift, but we know what we’ve got to do,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The particularly disappointing thing was that we accepted the charge of it being a poor pitch, however, we were also found guilty of not producing the best wicket possible. That was disappointing because we wanted a pitch to spin, we wanted to win the game, but we felt like we were playing on the best pitch available to us.”It’s still obviously pretty raw… but the issue wasn’t the spin, apparently. The reason we got deducted points was because of the surface and the inconsistent bounce… But I can assure you there was no intent to produce a wicket that was going to go up and down. But obviously the punishment’s been handed out, and we’ve got to deal with that as best we can.”

A lack of practice games for India ahead of the World T20, which starts on November 9, is the reason why a full-strength squad has been named for an A team series

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2018All 15 members of the India’s women’s World T20 squad have been named in an India A squad that will face Australia A in a three-match series later this month. The games have been scheduled in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex, and India A will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy.

Schedule

• 1st T20 – October 22, BKC Mumbai

• 2nd T20 – October 24, BKC Mumbai

• 3rd T20 – October 26, BKC Mumbai

A lack of practice games for India ahead of the World T20, which starts on November 9, is the reason why a full-strength squad has been named for an A team series. India were originally scheduled to play T20Is against West Indies later this month but with that series recently cancelled, these games against Australia A are their final chance of playing competitive cricket before leaving for the Caribbean. The players are already in Mumbai, participating in a 10-day camp as a build-up to the global event.India A squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Veda Krishnamurthy, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Anuja Patil, Ekta Bisht, D Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy

Shahid Afridi’s four wickets gave Hampshire promise of victory but they dried up with the bat as Kent kept their last-eight hopes alive

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2017Shahid Afridi’s four wickets were to no avail•Getty Images

Mitchell Claydon defended 16 in the final over to back up Daniel Bell-Drummond’s ninth career T20 fifty as Kent edged a last over thriller to beat Hampshire by five runs in the Natwest T20 Blast.England Lions star Bell-Drummond carefully hit 62 to help the visitors reach 159 for six on a slow track.Hampshire faltered in the second half of the innings to fall short. They needed 37 from 28 balls when Australian George Bailey was the third wicket to fall. Liam Dawson managed 5 from 9 balls and No. 3 Tom Alsop was left high and dry with 43 from 41 balls with only two boundaries.Hampshire’s captain James Vince expressed his disappointment at a victory that eluded his side: “For three quarters of the game we did better than them but we struggled to find the boundary in the second half of our innings,” he said. “We needed 72 from 10 overs with eight wickets in hand – it was a bit of a mess up but we have to move on for Friday.”He defended the decision not to push Shahid Afridi up the order to No 6, saying: “Afridi hasn’t really hit it miles yet this season and McManus has been in really good touch. We didn’t lose a wicket for a while so no one went in and we left too much to do in the back end. In hindsight we would have liked to win that with an over to spare.”Vince and Rilee Rossouw had got Hampshire off to a quick start in their quest to reach 160. Skipper Vince in particular took a fancy to Mitchell Clayton, who he dispatched for the match’s first six over cover in the fourth over.But the fast bowler hit back three balls later as Rossouw picked out Alex Blake at mid-on to break the 43-run opening partnership. Vince departed to the final ball of the powerplay as he was yorked by former teammate Matt Coles – as Hampshire sped to 60 in the opening six overs.Spin pair Imran Qayyum and James Tredwell put the brakes on Hampshire’s charge with tight middle overs. And from then on the hosts struggled, Bailey and Alsop neatly added 40 to take their side to 28 runs from victory before the Australian chipped a paddle sweep to short fine leg for a season best 41.Liam Dawson then picked out Blake on the long on boundary to leave his side needing 16 from the final over. But Claydon brilliantly defended the last six balls, as he only went for 10, to lift Kent’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.Earlier, Kent captain Sam Northeast won the toss and decided to bat on a grubby track under thin grey clouds.Joe Denly and Bell-Drummond set off at an understated rate, which set the tone for the innings. Denly cracked back-to-back fours off Chris Wood in the second over, two of just 12 boundaries in the Kent total, as they reached 47 by the end of the Powerplay. Mason Crane broke the 65-run opening stand when he bowled Denly with a googly.Skipper Northeast was bowled for a quick 10 and Sam Billings picked out Crane on the long on boundary as Afridi showed his class by going on to take four wickets.England Lions star Bell-Drummond continued to tick the score along effortlessly and reached a 33-ball fifty. Afridi was keeping things tight at the other end but waited until his final over to blow the visitors away by snatching two wickets in two balls.James Neesham top edged a sweep to short third man and Bell-Drummond was brilliant caught by a sliding Dawson on the cover boundary – leaving Afridi with his third best Hampshire T20 figures of 4 for 26.Alex Blake and Darren Stevens struck a quick 39 to lift Kent to 159 although the latter was caught at mid-off at the final ball as Kyle Abbott deceived him with a slower ball – but the score was enough.

Stephen Parry’s 5-13 routed Worcestershire for 53 as Lancashire stunned one of the pacemakers in the North Group of the NatWest Blast

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford24-Jun-2016
ScorecardStephen Parry wrecked Worcestershire with five wickets [file picture]•Getty Images

“Democracy,” wrote HL Mencken, “is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” A modern sensibility might recoil from the aphorism’s vulgar reference but Mencken’s sardonic wit has its applications. To judge from their roars many in the crowd at a T20 match show up because “what they want” is to see cricket balls hit “good and hard” and long and often.Yet the spectators’ appreciation of the skills on show at a short-form game is becoming ever more sophisticated. This was particularly fortunate at Old Trafford on Friday evening because a mere eight fours were struck in a quite bizarre contest which lasted 33.5 overs. And even those statistics do not do justice to the full lunacy of Lancashire Lightning’s 96-run win over Worcestershire Rapids.For while the home side batted their full allocation to make 149 for 5 with Alviro Petersen’s unbeaten 68 representing his first T20 half-century for Lancashire, Daryl Mitchell’s men were hustled out in 83 legitimate deliveries for a paltry 53, their lowest short-form score. It was Lancashire’s second biggest victory in this format.Moreover, slow left-armer Stephen Parry returned his county’s best T20 bowling figures of 5 for 13, taking three wickets in four balls as the Rapids’ later batsmen made lemmings seem cautious. Three were caught in the deep and Ed Barnard was the last man to go, attempting to reverse sweep Arron Lilley. Jack Shantry ran out of partners yet again. There were tears before bedtime across the Malverns.Yet there was also interesting strategy behind the remarkable facts of the game. Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, did not spare his top order batsmen from criticism after the game but he also accepted that he and probably by inference his skipper, Mitchell, too, had erred both in not playing another slow bowler and in not opting to bat when they won the toss.”I sat there watching it and thinking we’ve done this wrong, we should have batted first,” said the admirably candid Rhodes. “But we all made mistakes and that was a mistake. We didn’t read the pitch as well as we could. We thought it looked dry and had the potential to take spin and we did think about changing our side but we didn’t and that was a mistake. But let’s take nothing away from Lancashire, they are the current T20 champions and they outbowled, outbatted and outfielded us in every respect. The disappointing thing for me was the way we keeled over.”That rapid subsidence began with the first ball of Worcestershire’s innings when Nathan Buck had Tom Kohler-Cadmore caught at the wicket after he apparently gloved a leg side catch to Tom Moores, who was playing his first game of county cricket after agreeing his one-month loan spell from Nottinghamshire.Moores later added another leg side catch and, indeed, a leg side stumping off Parry to his tally of victims. He was busy and competent and so must think the county game a fine way to spend your time. The first batsman he removed was not so cheery. It was confirmed that Kohler-Cadmore really didn’t think he’d gloved the ball. So KC was hardly a member of the sunshine band as he trooped off.That wicket began a slide which only gathered pace. Bowling with speed and accuracy and extracting good lift from the Old Trafford wicket, Buck also removed both Mitchell and Joe Clarke in a three-over spell which cost 12 runs. Then Parry more or less took over, bouncing to the wicket with good rhythm and taking wickets with the gleeful delight of a man who keeps feeding a fruit machine which is stuck on three triple bars. Worcestershire hit three fours in their innings and only Brett D’Oliveira got to double figures. The Worcestershire boys were, as they say, not that happy.Yet Lancashire’s innings had hardly been a run-stuffed idyll. Petersen’s innings included a four and a couple of sixes and Liam Livingstone deposited successive balls from Barnard over the ropes before falling leg before to D’Oliveira for 28. All the Worcestershire seamers stuck to tight lines and there was plenty of debate in the mid-innings break as to the match-winning merit of 149 for 5. Such discussions were stilled early in the second half of the contest.