Warwickshire Bears Head Coach Ian Westwood was left disappointed after his side fell on the wrong side of a tight match against Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge.
The Outlaws chased down the Bears’ 139 with just one ball to spare on what turned into a low-scoring thriller in the East Midlands, after Kai Smith’s 34 from 28 balls propelled the Bears to a competitive total.
However, despite impressive bowling displays from Rob Yates (4-22), Usman Tariq (1-16) and Beau Webster (1-18), Westwood was left to rue key moments which meant the Bears slipped to their fifth defeat in the Vitality Blast.
“There were some key moments with the ball that we’d like to take back here and there, but we kept fighting to the end. I think 150 would have been a winning score, but you can see how tough it was there against the spin once we got out of the powerplay. I think both teams really struggled, but unfortunately, at this stage, nearly is not good enough for us. We need the points.
“The pitch was used, so it was worn and we knew spin would play a big part. I think there’s six left-handers in the top eight. We thought our off-spinners would be hard work. They bowled well once they got out of the powerplay and both innings followed a similar pattern really.”
“Rob’s got some ability there with the ball. He spins it, it’s one of his big strengths, he’s a bit better than part-time. He gives it a good rip and he got some assistance off that surface. We just probably missed a couple of crucial balls here and there, which cost us the game.”
Highlights from a Bears’ perspective were Smith’s impressive knock and opener Zen Malik, who added a 29 to his 24 in last Sunday’s clash with Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
“Young Kai Smith played well in the middle there to get us to a total. So I thought 150 would have been enough. Having said that, I think we’d take back a couple of overs there. You know, we should probably be getting over the line.
“Zen’s got two promising starts in the powerplay there. He struck the ball nicely, looks difficult to bowl to. That’s a positive start from him. As I said, Kai coming in there in the middle has done well. I thought Al Davies kept really nicely today on a difficult wicket and I thought that was going to be important on there.
“You can do all the talking and all the planning you like at the moment, but you need to get over the line. You need somebody to drag us over the line and get that first win on the board. And then the longer it goes, the harder that seems to feel.
“But everyone’s pretty devastated in the changing room there. They’re putting in a lot of effort and to get nothing for it and another loss is hard to take.”