India T20I star Tilak Varma has continued his hit or miss start to the One Day Cup with a second duck of the competition today (August 13) against Worcestershire.
Having shone for Hampshire in the four County Championship games he played for the side at the end of June – in which he scored two centuries and one half-century – Varma was dismissed for a two-ball duck in his first outing in the One Day Cup. He made up for that outing with a useful half-century in Hampshire's second match of the competition, helping them over the line against Essex.
However, he continued his feast or famine run with another duck today against Worcestershire, as Hampshire collapsed to being bowled out for under 200. Coming in after Ali Orr was dismissed by Ben Allison, and with Hampshire's score reading 10-1, Varma was beaten by his first ball from Allison, before blocking out a fuller one next ball. He left the third delivery, which was angled into him, but turned around in disbelief when the ball clattered into his off stump.
That wicket left Hampshire 14-2 halfway through the third over of the match. That position worsened when they slipped to 121-5 when Ben Mayes was bowled by Jack Home, and Hampshire eventually collapsed to 194 all-out.
SKY and Tilak Varma registered their seventh 50-plus stand in T20s, with a match-winning 87-run partnership in the third T20I against West Indies today. #WIvsIND pic.twitter.com/TGc2M1AAMc
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) August 8, 2023
Varma tore up several T20I records for India last year when he scored centuries in back-to-back matches, and his current average in the format sits at just below 50. He's had fewer opportunities to showcase his skillset in the 50-over format, having only played 11 ODIs, all of which came in 2023. He does, however, have five List A hundreds to his name, and averages 46.90 in the format.
In response to Hampshire's target, Worcestershire lost opener Isaac Mohammed in the fifth over of the chase.
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