Chopra snaps Warks losing streak

A 29-ball half-century from acting captain Varun Chopra reignited Warwickshire's NatWest T20 Blast campaign in a five-wicket win over Worcestershire in front of crowd of 12,500 at Edgbaston.

Making light work of a chase to overhaul 175 for 6, Chopra put on 73 with William Porterfield in the first seven overs and went on to 74 in guiding his side to a first victory in six games with four balls to spare.

The Bears' whirlwind start took the game away from Worcestershire as their new-ball bowlers, Jack Shantry and Chris Russell, conceded 60 of the 70 runs taken from the Powerplay. It was only through the wiles of Saeed Ajmal that the Rapids were able to apply some pressure, but, as well as he bowled, taking 3 for 17, they did not have an alternative threat in their armoury.

Porterfield's dash to 36 from 20 balls, including half-a-dozen fours, ended when caught at cover off Ajmal and Jonathan Webb was stumped in the Pakistan spinner's final Twenty20 shift prior to his country's tour of Sri Lanka.

Rikki Clarke and Laurie Evans - the latter with the classic six and out - later went in successive overs from the supporting seamers, but, even when Chopra was caught at short third man in Ajmal's final over, it was too late to stop the Bears. Chopra hit eight fours and two sixes from 49 balls.

Worcestershire's innings was based around a first half-century in the competition for record-breaking schoolboy batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Last year's Wisden schools cricketer of the year, when he scored 1,409 runs for Malvern College, the 19-year-old right-hander is successfully transferring his potential to the higher stage.

Having topped 50 in the last two four-day games, he reached a similar milestone in the shortest format, hitting three sixes and five fours in galloping to 51 from 34 balls.

The Bears were in a make-or-break situation in terms of progressing to the knock-out stage, whereas Worcestershire still have a little bit more room for manoeuvre, despite suffering a first home defeat against Lancashire last Sunday.

The return meeting began badly for Worcestershire when Richard Oliver, having cracked Clarke's first ball to the boundary, was bowled driving at the second, but Kohler-Cadmore belied his inexperience by taking the lead in a stand of 73 in eight overs with his captain Daryl Mitchell.

The youngster pulled Chris Wright for two sixes and cleared the rope again on the appearance of Ateeq Javid, but spin proved to be Warwickshire's strongest suit as seven overs from Javid and Jeetan Patel delivered wickets and economy.

Taking three wickets for 39, their first success - and a vital one - fell to Javid when Kohler-Cadmore, having been dropped on 15, sliced a catch to short third man. Mitchell paddled a slower ball from Oliver Hannon-Dalby to backward square leg for 33 and the innings could have misfired badly when Colin Munro and Alexei Kervezee - the former reverse sweeping, the latter finding deep mid-wicket - got out in five balls from Patel.

Having wobbled at 107 for 5, Worcestershire kicked on again with through Ross Whiteley, for 20, and Ben Cox, with 34 not out from 25 balls, and Wright's unhappy evening ended with the last ball carted for six by Brett D'Oliveira.