Skipper Joe Leach admitted Worcestershire Rapids “didn’t get enough runs”as they went down by seven wickets to Lancashire Lightining in a NatWest T20 Blast encounter at Emirates Old Trafford.
The Rapids were restricted to 127-8 after being put in on a pitch favouring the spinners and then a Jos Buttler half century helped the Lightning win with 15 balls to spare.
Now the Rapids will wrap up their North Group programme on Friday evening away to Derbyshire Falcons.
Leach, who scored 24 opening the batting, said: “We didn’t get enough runs. I thought if we maybe had 25 more, we may have put them under pressure.
“I thought they bowled very well in the middle. Parkinson bowled well, Parry does what he does, Lilley as well.
“Their spinners made it very difficult for us.
“I don’t think it was easy to bat on. If we had got 150, we probably would have been quids in to defend that.
“But it wasn’t to be. It gripped and held, and that made it difficult to rotate the strike.”
Leach added: “When you score 128 in 20 overs, the you’re not going to win many games of cricket.
“It probably speaks a bit for where we are at the minute.
“We’ve struggled a bit (in the T20 Blast), whereas in the One-Day competition you were seeing a lot of freedom.
“Maybe we just lack a bit of confidence.”
Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes told BBC Hereford-Worcester’s Dave Bradley: “I thought we were about 15 runs short of a par score. it was going to be difficult against a good Lancashire side.
“We shouldn’t be too ashamed in losing to them. They have got six international players in their side and we have got one so they have outgunned us in that respect and they outplayed us.
“It was quite a tough evening but it wasn’t an easy wicket and their spinners bowled particularly well.
“Old Trafford spins and it was one of those wickets that turns and you know when you come up here, especially with the boundary size as well, that there is going to be quite a lot of spin bowled and it is something you expect.”
