Hasan Ali leads Birmingham Bears to victory over Worcestershire in Vitality Blast clash

Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali delivered a brilliant bowling performance to help Birmingham Bears seal a 23-run win over Worcestershire in a Vitality Blast 2025 fixture at the County Ground on Friday.

Worcestershire won the toss and chose to bowl first. The Bears posted a solid total of 176 runs before being bowled out in 19.5 overs.

Sam Hain top-scored with a composed 44 off 35 balls, hitting five boundaries. George Garton added a crucial unbeaten 36 off 22 balls, which included three sixes and a four, while Dan Mousley contributed a quick 31 off 17 deliveries. Other useful knocks came from Alex Davies (19) and Ed Barnard (23), though the lower order struggled to add runs.

Ben Dwarshuis was the pick of Worcestershire’s bowlers, claiming 3/30 in four overs. Pakistan’s Khurram Shahzad also made an impact with 2/34, while Tom Taylor, Adam Finch, and Fateh Singh took one wicket each.

In response, Worcestershire were bowled out for 153 in 19.3 overs. Adam Hose kept their hopes alive with a fighting 51 off 36 balls, smashing two sixes and five fours. Gareth Roderick (30) and Isaaq Mohammed (25) offered brief resistance, but the rest of the batting line-up failed to deliver, with six batters not reaching double figures.

Hasan Ali was the star with the ball for the Bears, finishing with figures of 3/32 in his four overs. He consistently built pressure and took key wickets. Danny Briggs also bagged 3/37, while Craig Miles and Richard Gleeson claimed two and one wickets respectively.

The victory strengthens Birmingham Bears’ position in the tournament, with Hasan Ali's impact continuing to shine for the side.