Durham seamer Chris Rushworth talks about his record day
By Matt Somerford
Chris Rushworth will not be accepting a beer from Ben Stokes tonight despite his record-breaking day at the Emirates Durham ICG.
England all-rounder Stokes denied Rushworth the chance at one of the rarest feats in cricket – sweeping 10 wickets in an innings – on a record day for the Durham seamer.
Rushworth was on course to remove the entire Northamptonshire order until an apologetic Stokes had number 10 Maurice Chambers caught in the slip cordon.
It was a moment, however, to hardly bother the affable 28-year-old from Sunderland who has sworn off alcohol in 2014 for charity.
Any peace offering from Stokes in the bar afterwards would, therefore, not have been accepted in any case but Rushworth showed it hardly mattered as he then simply peeled off six more Northamptonshire wickets after they were asked to follow on to clinch an-innings-and-219-run win.
That ensured Rushworth returned the best-ever match figures by a Durham bowler – beating bowling coach Alan Walker’s 19-year record as he watched on – with an incredible 15-95 from just 20 overs.
Now @rushworth22 chats to the media - we'll have a Durham TV interview with the record-breaker later pic.twitter.com/vly6UFe5iY
— Durham Cricket Club (@DurhamCricket) September 17, 2014
Twelve of his wickets came during a whirlwind afternoon session as Northants were ripped out for 83 and 90 in a combined 40.2 overs.
“It’s been a good day,” an understated Rushworth told ecb.co.uk.
“It has gone quick. Things have gone pretty fast today and to come off with a win - I know I’m speechless and the lads are sitting in the change-room now saying: ‘Jeez did that really happen?’.
"You don't take 20 wickets in 40 overs too often. Incredible.
"I got those nine wickets in the first innings and then I was only initially supposed to bowl two or three overs in the second innings, but I picked up a couple of quick ones and just got greedy I guess.”
Rushworth revealed that Stokes had been at pains to say sorry after removing Chambers, adding: “To be honest I didn’t say a lot but he (Stokes) was very apologetic.
“The aim of the game is to win and you normally don’t think about those kind of things too much, but I’d be lying if I was to say I wasn’t a little bit disappointed.
“At the end of the day we won the game and I’ve got some record figures under my belt. I’m reasonably pleased!”
Any thoughts of breaking his beer ban to enjoy the moment were, however, far from Rushworth’s mind.
Can I just say...I was actually bowling to not get a wicket today for @rushworth22 who deserved 10fer,best spell of bowling I've ever seen
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) September 17, 2014
The right-armer believes kicking the booze is the “best thing I’ve ever done” and today’s once-in-a-lifetime performance presents a glowing endorsement of his decision.
“It would be nice (to celebrate with a drink) but I’ve got 12 months off and there’s just three more to go,” said Rushworth, whose record-breaking gave Durham an extra day off before Saturday's Royal London One-Day Cup final against Warwickshire at Lord's.
“To be honest we’ve had some good wins this year - the semi-final was a massive win and the adrenaline and the winning feeling, as silly as it sounds, it is enough to just sit there and soak it in without a beer.
“It sounds silly but I haven’t actually been tempted by it.”
It is hardly unreasonable then that Rushworth - who helped Durham to the LV= County Championship title last season and has 182 wickets in 54 first-class games - is considering extending his alcohol ban.
“It has helped massively this year in terms of my cricket - recovery wise and fitness wise,” he said.
“I’m feeling the benefits and I truly believe it’s the best thing I’ve ever done and I’m glad I’ve done it.
“It’s been a huge eye-opener and it is definitely something I’ll be taking into season in the future.”
For now Rushworth has a simple plan to enjoy his record-breaking day.
“Tonight it’s a barbeque and a football game,” he said.
“I’m expecting to be pretty stiff tomorrow. I’m quite good at the moment but I imagine in a few hours I might be slightly stiffer so I'll be resting up."