CONSECUTIVE wins in the T20 Vitality Blast have put the Worcestershire Rapids back on track for the quarter-finals, sitting third in the North Group table. 

Sunday's comprehensive six-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes was followed by another routine win at Lancashire Lightning by seven wickets on Tuesday night, in which overseas signing Mitchell Santner starred with 49 runs and 2-19 with the ball. 

The Rapids have now won six and lost four, leaving them two points off rivals and top-of-the-table Birmingham Bears, whom they play at Edgbaston on Friday night. 

But first, a New Road contest with second-placed Notts Outlaws will provide another stern test for the Rapids and the in-form Santner has said "every win counts" in what is an extremely competitive group.

"We know Lancashire are a very good team who bat all the way down so it was nice to win against them. It is a very tight table at the moment so every win counts," he said.

"It didn’t look easy early and it did a little for the seamers. Jos Buttler played extremely well to get them up to 160 but we thought it was definitely a chaseable score and we got ahead of the game early which was nice.

"Our batting at the moment, different guys are stepping up on different days. Dolly (Brett D’Oliveira) has done it a few times and nice to see Jack (Haynes) do it today.

"Myself, it is nice to be up the order, hitting a few more balls. With the ball, it has been a bit of a slow start for myself.

"But I don’t want to be peaking too early and by the back end of the tournament it will be good!"

The Rapids have struggled in the white-ball format in recent seasons, and they only won two Blast matches in the 2022 campaign.

But things have been different this year, with a number of big-name players producing the goods expected. Adam Hose (293 in 2023 Blast) has come in and produced plenty of runs, whilst captain Brett D'Oliveira (274) and Jack Haynes (249) have also contributed sizeable scores.

Pakistan international spinner Usama Mir (12 wickets - second-best economy rate in the tournament) has taken plenty of wickets, as has seamer Pat Brown (19 in Blast - fifth highest). Generally, the team look well-balanced and suited to go deep into the competition this time around. 

But the two games this week will go a long way to seeing what the Rapids are really made of. They face the top two - Bears and Outlaws - inside 24 hours of each other on Thursday and Friday this week.

Rapids sit third but only the top four from each of the North and South groups prevail to the quarter-finals. But with the tight nature of the standings in the North side of the tournament, teams below Worcestershire will be ready to take advantage of any slip-ups.