Dan Douthwaite blitz gives Glamorgan thrilling win over Worcestershire

Douthwaite smashed three of the opening four balls of the final over for boundaries to see his side to their 191 victory target with two balls to spare

New Road: Worcestershire 190-3 v Glamorgan 196-4 - Glamorgan win by six wickets

Scorecard

Dan Douthwaite powered Glamorgan to a six-wicket victory with a last over six-hitting blitz against Worcestershire Rapids paceman Pat Brown in a Vitality Blast encounter at Blackfinch New Road.

Douthwaite smashed three of the opening four balls from the England T20I bowler over the ropes to see his side to their 191 victory target with two balls to spare.

His hitting upstaged a splendid century by Worcestershire Rapids opener Hamish Rutherford in the final game of his third spell with the county.

The New Zealand opener hit four sixes and 11 fours in making exactly 100 from 62 balls in a brilliant display of hitting.

It was the second T20 hundred of his career and fell just short of his career best 106 for Otago against Central Districts at New Plymouth four years ago.

Rutherford received excellent support from Jake Libby in a dazzling second wicket partnership of 101 in nine overs as the Rapids totalled an impressive 190 for 3.

Glamorgan openers Nick Selman and David Lloyd gave their side a perfect platform in reply with a stand of 120 in 13 overs and then Douthwaite took centre stage.

Brown ended with figures of 2 for 62 from 3.4 overs – the most runs conceded by a Rapids player in T20 cricket.

The Rapids can reflect on a disappointing T20 campaign in direct contrast to their fine performances in the Bob Willis Trophy when they were edged out by Somerset for a final spot.

After winning the 2018 Blast and finishing runners-up last year, they have sorely missed the presence of Moeen Ali, Wayne Parnell and, in the early matches, Brown – three key members of their attack.

Glamorgan finished bottom of their group in the Bob Willis Trophy but fared better in the Blast and remained with a chance of qualifying as one of the third best placed teams until the finale of the competition.

^{Hamish Rutherford's hundred came in a losing cause}

They will welcome back prolific Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne for the next two years after his memorable form in 2019.

Rapids captain Ed Barnard elected to bat on the same wicket for last weekend’s derby with Birmingham Bears.

Rutherford immediately set the tone of his innings and gave the Rapids a flying start with a six over long on off Andrew Salter and two sweeps for four in an over costing 16 runs.

He then smote Ruaidhri Smith over the mid wicket boundary and scored 26 of the first 28 runs.

Smith received the same treatment in his next over from Jack Haynes who had a let off when dropped at point off the next delivery on 10.

It was not a costly drop as he added only two more before being caught off a top edge at third man off Timm van der Gugten.

Rutherford went onto complete an excellent half century off 33 balls in an over costing 20 runs from Salter.

He hit the spinner for a straight six and the second of two fours in the same over took him to his second T20 fifty of the summer. It contained three sixes and six fours.

Jake Libby immediately got into his stride with two cuts to the ropes in an over from the returning Sisodiya as the Rapids 100 came up in 12th over.

He and Rutherford plundered the bowling to such an extent that their 100 stand was completed in just nine overs.

Libby had raced to 47 off 26 balls with one six and six fours when he holed out to deep mid wicket off van der Gugten.

^{Douthwaite smashed two sixes and a four in the final over}

Rutherford’s century came up with a cut for four off van der Gugten before he departed to a catch at deep point from the next delivery.

When Glamorgan launched their reply, openers David Lloyd and Nick Selman gave their side the ideal start in chasing such a daunting target.

Brown came in for rough treatment, conceding 34 runs in his opening two overs and being hit for 4-4-6-4-4 from successive deliveries by Selman.

He completed an excellent half century from 26 balls with two sixes and seven fours.

Glamorgan were well in command at the half-way stage when they stood on 98-0 and Lloyd reached his fifty off 34 deliveries with two sixes and five fours.

The stand was finally broken on 120 in the 13th over when Lloyd (56) picked out mid-wicket off Daryl Mitchell.

Brown returned to the attack and struck with successive balls as Andrew Balbirnie (23) and Kiran Carlson (0) were caught at deep mid wicket and mid off respectively.

Selman – 78 off 53 balls - sliced Morris to mid off in the penultimate over but Douthwaite was up to the challenge of scoring 13 off the final over.

He hit the first two balls from Brown over the ropes and, after a dot ball, clubbed the fourth one over long on.

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