DIRECTOR of cricket Steve Rhodes admitted he was “astounded” by the way Worcestershire Rapids “dismantled” Birmingham Bears to win the NatWest T20 Blast derby at New Road by eight wickets.

It was the Rapids’ sixth successive win in the competition and kept them at the top of the North Group.

Rhodes said: “I was a bit worried about the game because we’d had such a good run of wins and I knew this was the last one before we could have a bit of a break.

“The lads have put in so much effort into the victories that you are always thinking is it possibly one too many, such a crucial game, tough opposition, a local derby.

“For us to go and dismantle them in the manner that we did just astounded me really how and it’s testament to a lot of things and the confidence the guys have got.

“I was totally delighted by the way we bowled and fielded, I thought Daryl (Mitchell) captained really well and Ross Whiteley’s fielding was incredible.”

Rhodes admitted: “We knew what Warwickshire would bowl, which would be cutters and slower balls and hard into the wicket.

“We talked about how we were going to play that and their spinners.

“They threw a curve ball in there with a few spinners early on, which surprised us a bit. But to attack was the plan and the lads carried it off beautifully.

“It meant we got so far ahead of the rate that the plan of putting three men back and bowling hard into the length and short – well we only needed singles then, so it wasn’t too much of a drama.

“The way Colin Munro played was an exceptional innings of how to deal with spinners, while Daryl again was so solid in his role of getting through the innings.

“He has scored a lot of runs in all formats of cricket and what a fantastic player he is.”