Monday, August 24th, 2015

Rhodes Praise For Whiteley-Cox Partnership In Abandoned Game With Somerset

Rhodes Praise For Whiteley-Cox Partnership In Abandoned Game With Somerset

Worcestershire Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes was full of praise for the excellent partnership between Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox as the LV = County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton was abandoned as a draw.

Whiteley and Cox rescued Worcestershire from 33-4 in reply to Somerset's 565-5 with an unbroken stand of 139 in just 25.5 overs.

All-rounder Whiteley made his third substantial contribution in as many games with 78 not out while keeper Cox followed up his century against Somerset at New Road with an unbeaten 52.

But the duo were denied the chance to add further runs as the final day was washed out.

Rhodes told BBC Hereford-Worcester's Dave Bradley: "I thought Ben Cox and Ross Whiteley played extremely well. It was a really wonderful partnership.

"They batted at a very awkward time with the Somerset bowlers with their tails up. They played very positively and it was a lovely stand.

"What do I take out of the game? That partnership. It was very positive, very forthright and when you look at the progress of both Coxy and Ross this year, there are a lot of things you can take out of that partnership going forward for plenty of years to come."

Rhodes admitted his bowlers "didn't hit their straps" during the opening session after skipper Daryl Mitchell put Somerset into bat in overcast conditions.

He said: "We put them in, there was a bit in the wicket, they played well, I thought Trescothick played extremely well, and then Hildreth and Trego later on.

"But we probably didn't hit our straps in that first session.

"To get the one wicket for 110 runs when you put someone in is not a reflection of what you want."