Ajmal and Oliver down Durham; Steelbacks win cracker
Sunday 5 July 2015 20:55, UK
Worcestershire continued their push for a spot in the T20 Blast quarter-finals with a five-wicket victory over Durham at New Road on Sunday.
Richard Oliver (70no) and Saeed Ajmal (3-13) starred with bat and ball respectively as the Rapids moved to within two points of North Group leaders Birmingham after a fifth triumph in six games.
Ajmal dismissed Durham's top scorer Phil Mustard (35) during a superb spell, while Jack Shantry (1-19) and Brett D’Oliviera (0-20) also bowled tightly as the hosts restricted the Jets to 127-9.
Oliver then smoked his second Blast fifty, drumming 11 fours in the process, to help Worcestershire home with an over to spare, Ben Cox's back-to-back boundaries off John Hastings sealing the win.
Derbyshire, meanwhile, remain rooted to the foot of the North Group after losing to Northamptonshire by three runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method at Chesterfield.
A downpour immediately after Northants posted 155-6 caused a delay of around an hour and led to the Falcons being asked to chase a reduced score of 144 from 18 overs.
Wes Durston's 39-ball 60 had put Derbyshire in a promising position but the home team could only notch five runs from Mohammad Azharullah’s final over to end on 140-5.
Richard Levi (42) and Josh Cobb (48) earlier put on 85 runs during a swashbuckling opening stand for Northants before being dismissed lbw in the 10th and 11th overs respectively.
The pair's exits saw the Steelbacks stumble to 104-6 but Steven Crook (28no) and Richard Keogh (27no) clobbered a subsequently crucial 51 from the final five overs.
