Report: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, One Day Cup

Warwickshire have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, with Edgbaston set to host a Bears v Pears derby on Friday for a place in the semi-finals.

Bears fought hard in a rain-affected game but fell to defeat against Nottinghamshire who ended their inconsistent Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign with a 12-run (D/L) victory at Rugby School.

The home side was bowled out for 182 in 46.3 overs, only Ed Barnard (31, 32 balls) reaching 30 against an attack led by Robert Lord (three for 24) and Liam Patterson-White (three for 26).  

Nottinghamshire’s reply was heavily rain-affected and closed on 135 for five after 28 overs, chasing a D/L target of 173 in 38. They were in trouble at 62 for five but were lifted ahead of the equation by a composed unbroken stand of 73 from Jack Haynes (57, 71 balls) and Tom Moores (30, 44 balls).

The defeat dropped Warwickshire to third in the final Group B table but they will still host Worcestershire at Edgbaston (who finished second in Group A) because New Road will be hosting England Lions v Sri Lanka on Friday. 

Nottinghamshire chose to bowl at a home batting unit deprived of Rob Yates and Hamza Shaikh by England Lions duty.

Zen Malik, on his debut, edged James Hayes to wicketkeeper Moores. Barnard and Will Rhodes took the score to 45 for one before the fall of the former, lbw to Lord.

Rhodes was run out by a direct hit from the boundary by Haynes. Michael Burgess (29, 47 balls) pushed forward down the wrong line to Patterson-White and was bowled.

Chris Benjamin and Kai Smith added 30 but both fell in Matthew Montgomery’s first over, each caught at deep mid-wicket. When Patterson-White trapped Theo Wylie lbw through an reverse sweep, three wickets had fallen for one run in seven balls.

Michael Booth edged Patterson-White to second slip as Warwickshire dipped to 141 for eight before Jake Lintott (27, 49 balls) and Tazeem Ali added 41 in 11 overs to give their side something to bowl at. Lintott hit the only six of the innings, over long-on off Montgomery, before skying Lord to extra cover.

Embarking on a target of 183 in 48 overs, Nottinghamshire lost early wickets in thickening drizzle. Freddie McCann chipped Barnard to mid-wicket, Ben Slater edged Booth behind with Burgess taking an excellent catch, and Haseeb Hameed was caught at gully off Lintott by Smith. That wicket, quickly followed by Montgomery edging Lintott behind, tilted the D/L equation Warwickshire’s way.

After an hour-long rain break at 56 for four (12.5 overs) changed the target to 173 from 38, Lintott quickly struck again when a full-length ball trapped Sam King lbw, but Haynes and Moores batted sensibly in poor light and drizzle. Haynes reached a 64-ball half-century and nudged his side into control before the rain thickened up and off came the players once and for all.

Warwickshire coach Mark Robinson said: “One of the vagaries of a game in one-day cricket is how it can be changed by the rain. It  went from being quite a difficult pitch, with the ball stopping for the seamers and with quite big, vicious turn for the slower bowlers, to quite a good wicket after all the drizzle and mizzle on it. That nullified the spin because you can’t hold the ball. It was two completely different games and I think if it hadn’t rained, it would have been a great game, 

“We fought hard but fair play to Notts. They played well in the conditions and that’s the game – that’s what you have to do. We fought hard and we are still in the competition and now we have another mouth-watering game against Worcestershire to prepare for on Friday.”