da brwin： Bewildered hosts reduced to 35 for 9 before succumbing to heavy loss
da bwin： ECB Reporters Network07-May-2023Chris Rushworth decimated Hampshire to send Warwickshire top of the LV=Insurance County Championship Division One table with an innings and 84-run victory. Fast bowler Rushworth, who arrived from Durham in the winter, claimed a devastating 7 for 38, with match figures of 10 for 76.Rushworth produced high-quality movement to slice up Hampshire’s batting line-up for 97 – having been 35 for 9 – and set up Warwickshire’s first victory at the Ageas Bowl since 2010, completed with room to spare despite the entire third day being lost to rain. The only thing that held up the win was a solo rearguard from James Vince – who scored 52 not out, including the majority of a 62-run last wicket stand with Mohammad Abbas.Only Middlesex seamer Tim Murtagh has taken more Championship wickets than Rushworth since 2010 – but he had only taken seven or more wickets in an innings three times before.The hapless Felix Organ was lbw second ball – his average now tanking to 8.42 this season – to leave Hampshire 0 for 1.Nick Gubbins showed intent with 21 off 29 balls, Hampshire clearly keen to wipe off their 181-run deficit and make the game safe. But the former Middlesex batter nicked Rushworth behind before Chris Woakes joined the party to trap Fletcha Middleton plumb in front.The mitigation for the first half of Hampshire’s collapse was a pitch that had spent a long time under covers, allied to murky conditions with the lights on which helped swing bowling. That excuse couldn’t be given as the innings progressed as the clouds blew away and blue skies appeared and the pitch trended back towards the one which had become easier to bat on before the washed out day three.Tom Prest dangled a bat to give Michael Burgess a sprawling catch and Ben Brown pushed one which bounced on him to first slip. Liam Dawson scored an all-run four then lost his middle stump to a hooping inswinger and Ian Holland was leg before when the ball stayed low.Woakes then struck with the second ball after lunch as Hampshire slumped to 34 for 8, as James Fuller edged off the shoulder of his bat to first slip.Rushworth has history at the Ageas Bowl – in 2015 he took a hat-trick across three overs – and he returned from the interval to notch his 10th wicket of the match, Kyle Abbott edging behind as Hampshire lost eight wickets for just nine runs.Captain Vince, who scored an unbeaten 75 in the first innings, had watched aghast at his team’s capitulation. He proved it was possible to survive and score runs.He blocked with grit, while occasionally angrily slapping through the covers or swatting a pull to the boundary. His half-century came in 83 balls as he totted up 53.6 per cent of his team’s second innings runs. At the other end, Abbas claimed his first runs of 2023 and crept past his previous Hampshire best of 8.The fact Abbas faced more balls (48) than anyone other than Vince summed up how badly his team-mates had failed – the Pakistani was eventually extracted when he had a wild swing at Danny Briggs to be stumped.Earlier, Warwickshire declared on 410 for 8 having added 46 runs in just under 40 minutes – with Abbas taking all three wickets to fall. Ed Barnard only added four runs having been stuck on 91 for over 40 hours due to Saturday’s rain. He returned to the dressing room having been caught behind attempting to turn the ball into the leg side.Woakes drove to mid off and Michael Burgess fell off 88 when he edged behind, as Warwickshire scored quickly and gave themselves plenty of time to bowl out Hampshire. It proved plenty, having seen off the hosts by 3.05pm.Adi Birrell, Hampshire’s coach, recognised a disturbing pattern. “It isn’t the first time we have collapsed like that,” he said. “It happened a few times last year. We are addressing it and speaking hard and looking at ourselves in the mirror to come up with a solution. There is no point screaming and shouting about it but we need to find a way in a calm manner – but we will be addressing it.”The reality of the season is that we have played four and won two and lost two. The hope is that there are very strong teams and beat each other but in a usual season if you lose two games then you don’t win the Championship.”
