Nerveless Ferguson steers Worcestershire Rapids to first-ever T20 Finals Day

The Australian Callum Ferguson's smooth and nerveless 64* settled the palpable nerves coursing through the New Road faithful to ensure that Worcestershire Rapids will join Lancashire Lightning and Sussex Sharks in the English season's domestic showpiece.

Worcester's opponents, Gloucestershire, arrived at New Road expecting to get a result and they got off to a flier with the young left-hander Will Hammond – no relation to the iconic Wally, also of Gloucester – irresistible in the opening powerplay. But when Hammond went for 45, leg-before reverse-sweeping to Daryl Mitchell, whose bits-and-pieces cutters and slower balls were perfectly suited to this sluggish pitch, the squeeze was on.

Brett D'Oliveira, the third D'Oliveira to represent the midlands club, was then introduced and in cahoots with Mitchell, the two slow bowlers applied the pressure. The visitors sunk from 65/0 to 97/5 as a mixture of canny bowling and frenetic hitting sucked the life out of the innings. They never recovered, and a halfway score of 136/8 never felt enough.

The Rapids, captained by Moeen Ali, are a young side packed full of challenging seamers and with Joe Clarke – heavily tipped to play Test cricket before too long – at the top of the order opening with Moeen himself, they have become a dangerous youthful outfit in 20-over cricket.

It was an understandably nervy start. Moeen was leg-before to his second ball. Clarke played two eye-catching shots through the leg-side before being bounced out by the Australian quick Andrew Tye. And when D'Oliveira and the keeper Ben Cox came and went in quick succession, the game was in the balance.

From 66/4 at one stage, Ferguson steadied the chase. The former Australia ODI strokemaker has had his problems with injury in recent years but he is enjoying himself again and at 33, he is approaching the next stage of his career with significant experience behind him.

In partnership with the big-hitting Ross Whiteley, the pair put on 52, taking the Rapids to within touching distance of the finish line. They got there comfortably in the end, with eight balls remaining. Ferguson was mobbed by his team-mates. Worcestershire had booked their first-ever appearance at Finals Day.

The final fixture of the quarter-finals comes at Taunton on August 26 between Somerset and Notts. The winners of that tie will join Worcsetershire, Lancashire and Sussex at Edgbaston on 15 September.