Joe Leach wants Worcestershire to end their NatWest T20 Blast campaign on a high note – being targeting promotion in the finale to the Specsavers County Championship.
The Rapids faint chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast ended with yesterday evening’s 13 run defeat away to Durham Jets.
But skipper Leach says there is still plenty to play for as the Rapids take on Notts Outlaws tomorrow afternoon in their final home North Group game of 2017 (gates open at 12 noon).
He told BBC Hereford-Worcester’s Trevor Owens: “It has been disappointing but we have got four Championship games left as well as three T20 games.
“We want to win those first of all and see how high up the table we can get and then we have the four-day campaign.
“We have four games left in that and if we win three of them, we have got a very good chance of getting promoted.”
Worcestershire were unable to chase down a 166 target at Durham on a pitch where the ball did not come onto the bat.
Tom Latham’s 62 off 40 balls proved decisive for the Jets with only opener Ben Cox (34 off 24 balls) and Ed Barnard (34 not out from 18 balls) scoring freely for the Rapids who closed on 152-5.
Leach said: “We thought on the whole we bowled and fielded very well but we just never really got going in the chase which is unlike us but hopefully is something we can learn from for the future.
“It’s not going to mean that much this year but going forward it’s the kind of game we want to put in the memory bank and get better from.
“The pitch was a bit tacky, the ball never came on and those are the pitches we normally excell on.
“Latham’s innings was the difference between the sides, someone going on and getting 50 or 60.”
The Rapids have named an unchanged squad to face the Outlaws and will choose from:
Clarke
Cox (w)
Santner
Mitchell
D’Oliveira
Whiteley
Leach (c)
Barnard
Hepburn
Tongue
Brown
Scrimshaw
