Alex happy to see the positives after draw - The Worcester Observer

Alex happy to see the positives after draw

Worcester Editorial 16th Apr, 2022   0

PEARS head coach Alex Gidman said there were many plus points for Worcestershire to take from the drawn LV=Insurance County Championship game with Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Worcestershire came within one wicket of victory after dominating the majority of the game in Leicester, with Leicestershire closing on 218-9, opener Hassan Azad hitting an unbeaten 104, after being set a 370 target.

Gidman praised Worcestershire’s ‘outstanding cricket’, after they picked up 14 points for their efforts in a game where more than a day’s play was lost to rain.

He said: “I’m disappointed for the players. They put in so much effort over four days. We played some fantastic cricket; really pleased with everything other than gutted for them we didn’t quite get over the line.




“I thought we played some outstanding cricket. To get ourselves out of a little hole at 40 odd for four….some wonderful batting in the first innings and then some great team bowling to take those first ten wickets.

“I thought our third innings batting was very entertaining and great to watch and we had to do something special to get ourselves into a position to win the game. I’m amazingly proud of the players to get ourselves into that position and just a shame we didn’t quite get over the line.


“I thought it was a fantastic cricket wicket but completely understandably, it got slower and harder to take wickets on.

“We tried everything, we tried bouncers, we tried spin, around the wicket, over the wicket, we tried pretty much everything so I can’t fault the efforts and ideas we threw at them.

“But massive credit to Hassan Azad. That was a very special innings, to bat for 300-odd balls on day four trying to save the game was very special for him.”

Gidman praised the hundreds by new skipper Brett D’Oliveira, debut opener Ed Pollock, and Azad.

He said: “In the game, we saw three amazing performances with the bat. Brett’s was brilliant for the position it was and his first game as captain was outstanding.

“Ed was very special and Hassan Azad played a very good innings.”

Gidman is confident the squad will build on the many plus points.

He said: “The guys are dejected in the dressing room because we threw a lot into the game and put in so much effort, which you have to do to give yourselves a chance of winning four-day cricket.

“It is a mental and physical challenge and we’ve thrown everything at them and they’ve resisted up to the final ball.

“Dejected, yes, and understandably so, but I’ve said to them there are so many positives to take out of the four days and we will cling onto those.”

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