Moeen shows that home is where the hurt is
Moeen Ali returned to his first home at Edgbaston with runs and wickets to take Worcestershire into the semi-finals and bring heartache for his former county
George Dobell07-Jun-2018
Moeen Ali inspired Worcestershire’s run chase•Getty Images
ScorecardWhen Moeen Ali left Warwickshire a dozen or so years ago, the club made a point of confirming that he would always be made welcome on his return.But they probably didn’t mean like this. For here Moeen, with three wickets and a century of the highest class, guaranteed his ‘new’ side,Worcestershire, a home semi-final and at the same time sentenced Warwickshire, their local rivals, to the exit.In what became, effectively, a knock-out match – Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire both leapfrogged Warwickshire with their victories – Moeenhelped Worcestershire withstand a blistering opening spell from Olly Stone on the way to his first List A century in domestic cricket forfive years. The previous one was also against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. There’s no place like home.In truth, a wonderful game – full of moments of youthful brilliance – deserved better than the moment that sealed it: Keith Barker skiddingon a dewy outfield and allowing a single to become a boundary. That tied the scores and meant there was no way Warwickshire couldprogress. Worcestershire’s home semi-final was guaranteed moments later when Ed Barnard, admirably calm amid the mounting drama, forced one through the off side field for four.It is often said there is no pace in county cricket. But here Warwickshire – even without the injured Chris Woakes – fielded twoyoung men capable of generating 90 mph. Both Stone – who was timed at 91.4 mph at one stage – and Henry Brookes – who was timed at 89.6 – hurried and harried the Worcestershire batsmen and shared seven wickets between them. To see an international batsman, CallumFerguson, beaten for pace by Stone was heartening. To see 18-year-old Brookes – who beat Brett D’Oliveira for pace – lose little bycomparison will have had selectors taking note. To see Brookes relishing the responsibility and rising to the moment was to see aspecial talent start to blossom. Warwickshire – and probably England – may well have unearthed a gem here.Only Moeen appeared to enjoy the extra pace. Upon a surface on which Worcestershire’s attack had relied on cutters, Warwickshire’s somewhat unsophisticated approach – if fast doesn’t work then bowl faster – played into his hands a bit. Moeen equalled his own record (Joe Leach shares it) for Worcestershire’s fastest List A half-century: a 25-ball affair that included three sixes; the best of them a drive overlong-on off Stone.He hasn’t been in much form since returning from the IPL. His last three innings had produced 10 runs and two ducks. But here, presented with a relatively big occasion – there was a time such a game would have generated a crowd in excess of 10,000 – and a chance to put one over on Worcestershire rich neighbours, he looked imperious.With nobody else in the top five able to make 20, Moeen was grateful for the arrival of Ben Cox. The pair added 95 in 12 overs, with Moeennegating the threat posed by Jeetan Patel and punishing Warwickshire for their absence of a fifth bowler. Aaron Thomason, who has a sidestrain, was missed.It’s probably churlish to find fault in such an innings. But, by the time Moeen mistimed a rare slower ball to mid-off – DominicSibley making a tricky catch appear straightforward – Worcestershire needed 105 from 24.4 overs; a rate only a fraction over four-an-over.The hard work had been done. It seemed an unnecessary stroke.The same might have been said for Cox. Having just seen Ross Whiteley superbly caught at short third-man, Cox’s well-paced innings endedwhen he attempted to pull one too full for the stroke and played on. It left Worcestershire, with seven wickets down, chasing 19 more runs.Sam Hain has had an excellent tournament•Getty Images
That set-up a nerve wracking finale. With Patel forced to go all-in in the search for wickets – Worcestershire were miles ahead of therun-rate and had more than 10 overs to score those 19 runs – Brookes, Stone and Barker bowled out their allocation. Time and again, ballbeat bat but, though Brookes yorked Leach, Dillon Pennington – on first-team debut – somehow survived for 23-balls in helping Barnardadd nine runs. It doesn’t sound much, does it? But every one had to be chiselled from granite and, by the time Barker trapped him leg before,just four were required for the tie.Earlier Warwickshire’s batsmen appeared to struggle for fluency on a pitch that may have been a little slower than they wished. DespiteWorcestershire being without Josh Tongue, who was ruled out with a foot injury, and soon losing their skipper, Leach, to a back injury – he was required to come back out and field for a few overs before George Rhodes arrived from a second XI match in Stourbridge to lendsupport – Warwickshire were unable to progress as they would have like against a disciplined attack.It took a stand of 133 in 25 overs between Tim Ambrose and Will Rhodes to drag Warwickshire to respectability. The pair helped their sideplunder 103 in the final 10 overs of their innings – and 66 from the final five – as Worcestershire started to wilt in the field. Twice balls that should have cost a single – at most – were allowed through legs and to the boundary, while there were four wides in the final two overs; one of them going down the legside for four.For a while it seemed Warwickshire’s superior fielding may prove the difference. But if the highlight was Patel’s direct hit from mid-off to run-out Daryl Mithcell, it was all forgotten when Barker’s slip let through the ball at a crucial moment.As an aside, it will never be Trott’s fault again. The result confirmed that this was the final List A match of his career. The game has, in many ways, moved on in recent years but Trott’s record – the 23 List A centuries, the ODI average of 51.25 – remain exceptional. But for a few minutes of madness at this ground in the Champions Trophy final of 2013, he would have been part of a side that won England’s first global List A trophy. It wasn’t to be but, for a while, England went to No. 1 in the world and he won many games – and a few trophies – for club and country.Worcestershire need not worry about that. For a second year in succession, they have earned themselves a home semi-final. To have done it with a largely home-grown squad – and Moeen didn’t have to come too far, either – provides an excellent example to many richer rivals.