Gloucester through to final
Wisden CricInfo staff - August 7, 2003
Gloucestershire 221 for 9 (Malik 74) beat Derbyshire 219 (Kaif 72) by one wicket
Dominic Cork put a disappointing first spell behind him to bowl Derbyshire to the brink of a famous comeback, but Gloucestershire’s final pair kept their nerve to secure a one-wicket victory and secure their path to the final at Lord’s, where they will play either Lancashire or Worcestershire.
At one stage, Gloucestershire were cruising to victory. They had restricted Derbyshire to a sub-par total of 219, and after a few early wobbles, had progressed serenely to 193 for 5, with Mark Alleyne playing the supporting role to Shoaib Malik’s well-crafted half-century. But when Lian Wharton picked up Alleyne and Jack Russell in the space of three balls, the innings was turned on its head.
Cork, whose first three overs had been pasted for 31 runs, now rose to the occasion. With two runs still required for victory, Shoaib hoisted a short ball to Kevin Dean at backward square-leg, before Martyn Ball was spectacularly caught at gully by a diving Michael di Venuto (217 for 9). Cork, however, was unable to make it three in the over, and James Averis bided his time before clipping Graeme Welch through square-leg for four.
Shoaib was deservedly named Man of the Match for a fine allround performance. His offspinners had earlier played a major part in Gloucestershire’s success in the field, Although Mohammad Kaif top-scored with a brisk 72 from 83 balls, Derbyshire’s total was undermined by some sloppy running between the wickets, and eventually fell several runs short of a par score.
Mike Smith had given Gloucestershire the perfect start by removing both openers, di Venuto and Steven Selwood, in a typically thrifty opening spell. He had been doubtful ahead of the match after picking up a back injury, but his influence set the tone for the innings. Averis and Alleyne helped to apply the pressure, before the spinners Ball and Shoaib chipped in with three wickets.
Derbyshire were nevertheless well-placed for a good score when Dominic Hewson and Luke Sutton were run out by direct hits. Hewson was the most culpable, failing to run his bat in as he was beaten by Matt Windows’s shy from the deep. His dismissal brought an end to a 75-run partnership with Kaif (134 for 4), and the rest of the batting didn’t hang around.
After cracking a car windscreen with a straight six, Kaif was eventually beaten in flight by Ball and holed out to Windows at mid-off (193 for 7), and fittingly, the innings ended with a third run-out in a frenetic final over, as Welch failed to make his ground.
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