Trent Bridge mein Notts Outlaws ke saamne unki shuruaat itni kharab thi ki koi bhi fan hairaan reh gaya. Pehli hi over mein captain Brett D’Oliveira golden duck pe out ho gaye, aur woh bhi ek ajeeb tareeke se – ek quick single ke chakkar mein balance kho baithe aur Daniel Sams ne direct hit se unhe wapas bhej diya. Agli hi ball pe Ed Pollock ne Dillon Pennington ki pehli ball ko seedha deep square leg ke haathon mein khela. Scoreboard pe 1 for 2 – yeh koi shuruaat nahi, yeh toh disaster tha. Aisa laga jaise Worcestershire ka yeh T20 Blast match bas ek formality ban ke reh jayega, jaise 2022 mein County Championship ke ek match mein Notts ne Worcestershire ko Trent Bridge mein hi paanch wickets se hara diya tha, jab Ben Duckett aur Joe Clarke ne chase ko itna aasan bana diya tha.
Lekin cricket mein ek hi ball, ek hi shot sab kuch badal sakta hai. Aur yahan Adam Hose ne woh kaam kiya. Unki 95 runs ki shandaar inning ne na sirf Worcestershire ko bacha liya, balki unhe ek badi jeet dilayi. Hose ne 51 balls mein 6 sixes aur 7 fours lagaye, aur ek waqt aisa laga ki woh season ka pehla T20 Blast century bhi maar lenge. Unka yeh score is season ka joint-highest raha, Lancashire ke Keaton Jennings ke 95 ke barabar, jo unhone Notts ke khilaaf hi banaya tha. Hose ke saath Kashif Ali ne bhi 35 balls mein 51 runs ki zabardast inning kheli, jisme 3 sixes shamil the. Dono ne milkar powerplay ke baad score ko 57 for 2 tak pahunchaya, aur wahan se Worcestershire ne kabhi peeche mud ke nahi dekha. Ben Dwarshuis ne aakhir mein 9 balls pe 18 runs jodkar team ko 206 for 5 tak pahunchaya – yeh Trent Bridge pe Worcestershire ka chautha 200+ score tha.
Yeh inning dekhkar yaad aata hai 2019 ka World Cup final, jab England ke liye Ben Stokes ne akele dam pe match ko haari hui baazi se jeet tak le gaye the. Hose ki yeh knock bhi usi tarah ka ek masterclass thi – pressure mein shant rehkar opposition ke bowlers ko dismantle karna. Notts ke bowlers, jaise Dillon Pennington (2 wickets) aur Daniel Sams, shuruaat mein toh dominant lage, lekin Hose ke saamne unki ek na chali. Worcestershire ke liye yeh jeet isliye bhi khaas thi kyunki unhone Trent Bridge pe apni winning streak ko bacha liya – yeh unki wahan teesri consecutive T20 Blast jeet thi.
Notts Outlaws ki batting shuru hui toh unke fans ko thodi ummeed thi. Jack Haynes, jo is season unke top T20 run-scorer hain, aur Joe Clarke ne shuruaat mein 38 runs jaldi banaye. Lekin yahan se Worcestershire ke bowlers ne apna jaadu dikhaya. Tom Taylor aur Jacob Duffy ne 2-2 wickets liye, aur Dwarshuis ne death overs mein sirf 11 runs diye. Notts ke Tom Moores aur Liam Patterson-White ne 39-39 runs banaye, lekin yeh kafi nahi tha. 129 for 6 pe pahunchkar Notts ke liye 207 ka target ek sapna ban gaya, aur woh 181 for 7 pe ruk gaye. Worcestershire ne 25 runs se jeet haasil ki aur points table mein Notts ke barabar aakar, net run-rate ke sahaare unhe peeche chod diya.
Yeh jeet Worcestershire ke liye ek bada boost hai, jaise 2007 mein India ke liye T20 World Cup jeetna tha jab Yuvraj Singh ne England ke khilaaf 6 sixes maare the. Hose ki yeh inning usi tarah yaad rahegi – ek aisa performance jo team ko nayi energy deta hai. Lekin cricket ka maza hi yeh hai ki yeh game kabhi aapko chain se baithne nahi deta. Aaj Worcestershire jeet gaya, lekin kal ka match, kal ka pressure, aur kal ka challenge alag hoga. Notts ke liye yeh haar ek jhatka hai, aur woh jaldi wapas aana chahenge, jaise 2015 mein Stuart Broad ne Trent Bridge pe Australia ke khilaaf 8 wickets lekar Ashes mein apni team ko wapas laaye the. Worcestershire ke liye bhi yeh jeet sirf ek shuruaat hai – T20 Blast ka safar lamba hai, aur ek galti unhe wapas 1 for 2 jaisi situation mein la sakti hai.
