Hasan Ali Shines with Ball, Bears Secure Victory

WORCESTER: Pakistani fast bowler Hasan Ali delivered a stellar bowling display, securing Birmingham Bears a 23-run triumph against Worcestershire in a captivating T20 Vitality Blast match held at the County Ground in Worcester on Friday.

Worcestershire opted to field first after winning the toss. Birmingham Bears, after being sent into bat, managed to assemble a total of 176 before being dismissed in 19.5 overs.

Sam Hain’s composed innings of 44 from 35 deliveries, marked by five boundaries, formed the backbone of the innings.

George Garton provided a late-innings surge, scoring an invaluable 36 not out off just 22 balls, which featured three sixes and a boundary, while Dan Mousley chipped in with a brisk 31 from 17 balls, including a six and four fours.

Additional contributions came from Alex Davies (19) and Ed Barnard (23), though the tail order struggled, with Hasan Ali, Tom Latham and Danny Briggs each recording only one run.

Worcestershire’s bowling efforts were spearheaded by Ben Dwarshuis, who captured 3 wickets for 30 runs in his quota of four overs.

Fellow Pakistani Khurram Shehzad also left his mark, securing 2 wickets for 34 runs across 3.5 overs. Tom Taylor, Adam Finch and Fateh Singh each claimed a single wicket.

In pursuit of 177, Worcestershire were bowled out for 153 runs in 19.3 overs, falling short in spite of a courageous half-century by Adam Hose, who hit 51 off 36 balls, comprising two sixes and five boundaries.

Gareth Roderick (30) and Isaaq Mohammed (25) offered brief resistance, but the remaining batting lineup faltered under pressure, with six batsmen failing to reach double digits.

Hasan Ali stood out as the most impressive bowler, achieving figures of 3/32 in his four overs, sustaining consistent pressure throughout his spell.

Danny Briggs mirrored his performance with 3/37, while Craig Miles took two wickets and Richard Gleeson secured one.