Worcestershire Rapids Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes gives his reaction to the two run defeat by Northamptonshire Steelbacks in the T20 Blast at New Road this evening.
Question: It was a fluctuating game, where for you were the key areas?
Steve Rhodes: "First of all, it was a great chase. The boys kept us in it all the way and what a spectacle for the crowd.
"It was a wonderful game of cricket. To get so close to such a big score, 193, was a great effort from the lads and I'm very proud of the batting and the way they tried their best to get there, especially losing Moeen to the first ball.
"We would look at the last three overs of the game and highlight 61 runs going in the Northants innings and potentially that made the chase quite difficult.
"If we had finished off the innings a little bit better in overs 18, 19, 20, we would have been chasing a more reasonable target and probably would have won."
Question: Can you legislate for a display of hitting like Kleinveldt produced?
Steve Rhodes: "This is T20 cricket and things like this happen. He struck the ball beautifully. We didn't get our yorkers in as well as we should have done. However, it is not an easy task and sometimes it goes wrong.
"That's what happened today and ultimately 61 runs is a lot of runs for the last three overs.
"They kept the runs going and I thought they were on target for 175-180 but Steven Crook and Rory Kleinveldt finished off the innings wonderfully for Northants.
"That area is something if we had been a little bit better today, we would have won."
Question: There was no leverage for Ross Whiteley in the final over because of the balls in the blockhole from Muhammad Azharullah?
Steve Rhodes: "I wouldn't like to be bowling at Ross Whiteley in the last over so we've got to give some credit to the bowler.
"He kept his nerve pretty well and got his yorkers in pretty well and it was very difficult for Ross to get underneath them.
"Sometimes you've got to look at it evenly and think there are two sides out there and Azharullah's last over was a very good last over."
Question: You've had a good run, five wins out of six, is this just a blip?
Steve Rhodes: "It's very simply just a game of T20 cricket and there is going to be a winner and there is going to be a loser and for us to come away with 191 runs chasing 193 was a great effort and we will pick ourselves up.
"If we play as well as this, we are going to win plenty more games and we look forward to the next one.
"The good thing about the Friday night fixtures is you know you've got a bit of time to get your head around things and away you go again next week.
"This is a good team we've got and we will back these lads to do it again for us."
