SO HOW DO YOU STOP BUTTLER? JOS MAKE IT RAPID
Mo hopes to force early mistake out of Buttler as Worcester chase T20 dream
MOEEN ALI reckons he can tease the mistake out of Jos Buttler that will help Worcestershire to their firstever T20 title.
In Buttler, Lancashire have the finest T20 player on show in their ranks, such is his demand worldwide to play in the IPL and Big Bash among others.
But Moeen has bowled enough at him in the nets with England to know where he might be able to get one over his mate.
“I’m hoping he makes a mistake,” said Moeen. “He’s a great player and obviously he is going to be a massive threat in the game.
“I’m not sure I want to bowl at him too much, he’s an incredible player and the way he has been playing this year, somehow we are going to have to get him out early. He’s seen everything I’ve got as a bowler because he keeps to me, but it just takes one ball and one mistake.
“I’ve bowled at him many times in the nets and he’s hit me for many sixes in training, but I’ve also got him out a few times so there is always a chance. At least I’ve got more of a chance bowling at him, he can’t bowl at me!”
Somerset take on Sussex in the first semi-final of the day in a repeat of the 2009 final won by the South Coast side, which sparked a hat-trick of final defeats for the West Countrymen. Lancashire were winners in 2015, which makes their semi-final opponents the only finals-day rookies at what is a sold-out Edgbaston in a record-breaking year for attendances in the tournament. “We’ve got nothing to lose,” added Moeen. “I’ll just tell the players to go out and enjoy themselves. “We’ve been trying to get here for a while and now we’re here I want us to finish it off. We just have to control the emotion and make the most of it. “This is something we’ve been trying to do as a team for a while and have stumbled at the quarter-finals. Now we’ve got over that hurdle I think we’ll be fine now the monkey is off our back.”