WICKETKEEPER Ben Cox says Worcestershire Rapids are capable of recapturing their early-season momentum in the NatWest T20 Blast.

They gear up for two games in 24 hours in their bid to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years.

Rapids were the early season pace-setters in the North Group with a series of impressive performances and victories as they carried on last summer’s fine form in the competition.

But one point from their last four games — a washout at Durham last week — means the battle to reach the last eight is wide open, although the Rapids still lie in third spot.

First on the agenda is tonight’s home clash with Lancashire Lightning (5.30pm), who are coached by England Ashes winner Ashley Giles, who hails from Droitwich.

Lightning have included big-hitting England one-day wicketkeeper Jos Buttler in their squad.

Buttler cracked 70 from just 45 balls last Saturday in Cardiff as England hammered Sri Lanka by 122 runs in the fifth one-day internatonal.

Cox and his teammates want to avenge the defeat at Emirates Old Trafford two weeks ago when they were bowled out for their lowest T20 score of 53.

Then tomorrow (2.30pm) Rapids visit Notts Outlaws before hosting the sold-out return encounter with Birmingham Bears next Friday.

Cox, who has signed a new four-year contract, said: “We’ve struggled. It is a shame last Friday (against Derbyshire) went the way it did.

“Obviously it was a great day for the club, in terms of the YELL4FELL Day for Tom Fell and what we wanted to achieve with Cricket Versus Cancer, and on the pitch I thought we had got enough runs.

“We just need to pick up that momentum again. One win changes everything and I thought that was going to be it.

“It wasn’t to be and we have to go on to Friday and beat the big teams effectively, Lancashire, Notts and Warwicks.

“It’s up to us because we’ve put ourselves in this position. There are games we should have won and taken closer. Also the weather hasn’t helped, but neither have we. It’s on us to turn it around and we are 100 per cent capable of doing it. It’s on us to put in the performances to earn the right for qualification.”

On the game at Old Trafford, Cox said: “I felt embarrassed I had put in a performance like that with a Worcestershire badge on. I know others felt the same.

“It was tough, though. They had three spinners and bowled much quicker than we did and it was turning.

“If we played the game again, would we bat first? Probably, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Their spinners bowled well on a wicket that suited them.

“It would be nice to put it right and get our own back on them. You get a couple of points tonight, take a bit of momentum into tomorrow and go from there.”

Rapids (from): Daryl Mitchell (captain), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Joe Clarke, Brett D'Oliveira, Ross Whiteley, Ben Cox, Joe Leach, Ed Barnard, Matt Henry, Jack Shantry, Kyle Abbott, Geoge Rhodes.

Lancashire Lightning (from): Steven Croft (captain), Karl Brown, Nathan Buck, Jos Buttler, Jordan Clark, George Edwards, Rob Jones, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Stephen Parry, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Luis Reece.