Mulder Takes Four But Worcestershire Edge Thriller

By John Curtis, ECB Reporters' Network

Adam Hose and Gareth Roderick played major roles in Worcestershire achieving a three wicket win over Leicestershire with a day to spare in the LV=Insurance County Championship encounter at New Road.

The odds were in the Foxes favour after Worcestershire lost two wickets for two runs yesterday evening on a pitch of variable bounce after being asked to chase a 271 target “ the highest of the game.

But Hose struck a fluent 84 and Roderick dug in for more than five hours to make an equally crucial 59.

Then, Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira, who battled away for 137 deliveries to score an unbeaten 41 , and Adam Finch saw Worcestershire home.

Wiaan Mulder did his best to pull the game out of the fire for Leicestershire with four wickets to add to his five-fors against Derbyshire and Sussex in the previous two games.

Ultimately a see-saw third day was a superb advert for Championship cricket with first one side and then the other appearing to be in the ascendancy.

Worcestershire showed immense character, determination and skill to fightback in superb fashion from being bowled out for 83 in just 21.1 overs on the first day.

Their bowlers set the tone by bowling out Leicestershire for 180 in their second innings with Joe Leach and Matthew Waite sharing nine wickets.

Then their batters showed tremendous application in attempting to chase down a testing target on a still difficult pitch.

Hose made the switch from Warwickshire to New Road on a three year deal during the winter, partially because he felt he would have a greater chance of playing red ball cricket.

He had not played a Championship game for three years since the end of the 2019 season and has spent the past year impressing in T20 cricket.

He was the third highest scorer in last year’s Vitality Blast and then made a significant contribution for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League and earned praise for his calming influence from Head Coach Jason Gillespie.

Hose had scored his capabilities in Championship cricket by making 59 and 41 in the previous home game against Sussex when England’s Ollie Robinson had bowled superbly to pick up 14 wickets.

Here he produced a knock worthy of a century given the challenging conditions in making 84 and was given excellent support by Roderick.

He had been a top five batter during his time with Gloucestershire but has spent the bulk of his time at New Road in the middle order.

Here he was promoted to number three for this game and provided rock solid support for Hose in dropping anchor at the other end.

Worcestershire resumed on 26-2 on a pitch still offering plenty of encouragement to the bowlers with its unpredictable bounce.

Loan signing Josh Davey made the first breakthrough of the day when Jack Haynes was adjudged lbw to a delivery angled back in.

The England Lions batter smacked his bat in frustration before leaving the crease.

Roderick was joined by Hose who was fortunate when a delivery from Davey popped up onto the offside.

But he was soon into his stride in straight driving Chris Wright for four and then pulling Davey for six.

The former Warwickshire batter looked in good touch but Roderick’s contribution was also invaluable.

The 50 stand came up in 13 overs but there was still threat of a delivery misbehaving and Roderick edged one delivery from Tom Scriven high over the slips and keeper to the boundary.

A straight drive by Hose brought him his eighth four and enabled him to complete an excellent half century from 66 balls.

The third wicket pair had extended their stand to 92 by lunch and the century partnership came up shortly after the resumption from 168 balls.

Hose went into overdrive with a flurry of boundaries which took him into the 80s and brought the target to within realistic proportions.

But after adding 131 in 37 overs with Roderick, Hose’s superb knock came to an end when he pushed forward to Wiaan Mulder and was caught behind. His two and a half hour knock spanned 117 balls and contained one six and 14 fours.

Roderick was dropped at slip off Wright on 49 in the same over as he completed a 185 ball half century.

The scoring dried up after Hose’s dismissal and Worcestershire Club captain Brett D’Oliveira needed 53 deliveries to collect his first boundary.

Roderick’s patient knock ended on 59 when Colin Ackermann held onto a chance at second slip off Mulder.

The second new ball was taken at 206-5 and Matthew Waite made a quickfire 22 before the former Yorkshire all-rounder and Joe Leach both went lbw to Mulder.

But D’Oliveira and Finch held their nerve to settle the issue in favour of the home side.