Worcester too weak to fight off Knight

Warwickshire 175 Worcestershire 155-5 Warwickshire win by 20 runs

The Worcester public have responded so enthusiastically to the Twenty20 Cup that the timing of the personnel crisis at New Road is doubly unfortunate.

Robbed by injury of Graeme Hick, Nantie Hayward and Anurag Singh and further weakened by international call-ups for Kabir Ali, Vikram Solanki and Andrew Hall, Worcestershire could not match long-time rivals Warwickshire despite the heroics of Kabir's cousin, Kadeer Ali.

Kadeer thrilled a crowd of over 4,500 by getting after Warwickshire's slower bowlers, blasting three sixes in quick succession for a 32-ball half-century. But Worcestershire could not overhaul a target of 176 after Nick Knight's 89 off only 58 deliveries. The home side's defeat leaves them with one win from three and only an outside chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

Warwickshire now lead the Midlands-Wales-West Division and, should Knight maintain last night's form, must be among the favourites to progress. The left-hander had one piece of luck, on 27, when wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes could not hold on to a top-edged pull.

Knight, who ultimately allowed Rhodes to claim revenge with the last of three stumpings off spinner Gareth Barry, celebrated his let-off by lofting pace bowler Matt Mason over the square leg boundary in the same over for the first of three sixes, helping a 17-year-old spectator earn a prize of £1,000 for coolly catching the ball.

David Leatherdale was the other bowler to suffer in Knight's onslaught and when Neil Carter reduced them to 37 for 3 inside the first six overs of their reply, Worcestershire were always chasing a losing cause despite Kadeer and Ben Smith sharing a stand of 90 in 11 overs.