WORCESTERSHIRE Rapids' unbeaten start to the T20 Vitality Blast competition came to an end on Sunday as the Northamptonshire Steelbacks secured victory with just two balls to spare at New Road. 

Needing 14 off the final over, Saif Zaib hit two 6s and a 4 to clinch victory for the visitors as he ended the innings unbeaten on 70. 

The Rapids' Ben Cox had hit 46 off just 29 balls to guide the Rapids to a challenging, if not totally convincing, 178/6 from their 20 overs. Mitchell Santner (33), Jack Haynes (26) and Brett D'Oliveira (38) had also provided the runs.

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It felt a little short of where it needed to be but some disciplined bowling from the Rapids' attack kept the away side at bay before a decisive 70-run partnership between Zaib and Josh Cobb (23). Zaib then whacked Pat Brown for consecutive sixes in the final over to end the Rapids' perfect start to the campaign. 

The hosts were dealt an early blow in their innings as Michael Bracewell was caught at short third man in the opening over from Ben Sanderson.

D’Oliveira was into his stride with a lofted cover drive and a flick off his legs for successive boundaries off David Willey and new batter Haynes smashed a full toss from Sanderson over long on for the first maximum of the game.

The England Lions player then brought up the 50 in the final over of the powerplay with two fours in two balls from Willey.

Haynes raced to 26 off 16 balls before he was caught off a skier at third man off AJ Tye with 61 on the board. Adam Hose tried to hit spinner Freddie Heldreich over the top and was taken at long off.

D’Oliveira made 38 off 28 balls with five fours when he attempted to cut Heldreich and picked out backward point, and Kashif Ali was dismissed in the same manner.

The Rapids hundred came up in the 13th over, and then Santner flat-batted Heldreich for a straight six.

The New Zealander added 40 with Ben Cox before, after making 33 from 21 balls, he holed out to long off against Tom Taylor.

Cox’s aggression brought him three boundaries in a row off Taylor, and then he smote Tye for a huge six into the Graeme Hick Pavilion.

He raced onto 46 from 29 balls and, with Ed Pollock also making a quickfire 16 not out, the Rapids reached 178-6.

When the Steelbacks launched their reply, Dillon Pennington and Finch bowled two excellent opening overs, which yielded just seven runs.

Finch made the first breakthrough after swapping ends when Chris Lynn could only find the safe hands of D’Oliveira at mid-on but a burst of boundaries from Ricardo Vasconcelos lifted the Steelbacks to 45-1 at the end of the powerplay.

Willey looked in decent touch but then tried to force Santner away and was pouched at backward point by Pennington.

Bracewell then accounted for Vasconcelos, who sliced a catch into the safe hands of Pat Brown at deep cover.

Josh Cobb perished to Brown, but Saif batted excellently to settle the game in the final over. A dot ball from Brown game the sold-out crowd some hope but two sixes followed and then a four sealed the win for the Steelbacks.

Despite defeat, the Rapids remain top of the North Group table with four wins from five. They now have successive away matches with Lancashire Lightning and Yorkshire Vikings this weekend.