Pitch punditry is best practiced with extreme caution. Few present at Chelmsford could have anticipated that Essex would roar to 262/9 in their Benson and Hedges Cup semi-final with Worcestershire. Ronnie Irani smashed 57, with Andy Flower hitting a mature 45 after Nasser Hussain's rollicking 35 put Worcester on the back foot. It was only a late order collapse which prevented Essex turning a good total into an excellent one.

Essex captain Irani glanced ruefully at the dressing-room as Graeme Hick inserted the home side on a green top. Torrential rain yesterday hampered preparations, and the pitch looked damp with tufts of live grass. Heavy cloud cover, and Allan Donald opening the bowling should have spelled trouble for Essex.

In the event it was Kabir Ali, and poor running between the wickets, which prevented a massive score. Kabir, the leading bowler in England this year, bowls a skiddy away-swinger with admirable accuracy. He was more effective than Donald at the death, finishing with 4-34. David Leatherdale and Stuart Lampitt also helped to keep the brakes on.

A mixture of poor bowling, excellent timing and agricultural heaving coupled with what was, in essence, a fairly docile pitch helped Essex into a potentially winning position. The drizzle which delayed play by four hours means that a result will probably not be attainable tonight. Play can continue until 8pm, by which time the direction of the game should be a little clearer.

Putting all thoughts of the pitch aside, Nasser Hussain took advantage of an awful opening spell from Alamgir Sheriyar. The England skipper hit four boundaries in a row, two cover-drives, one through point, and a hooked six. At the other end, Donald was accurate without being unplayable.

Kabir Ali replaced Sheriyar, and the youngster immediately found his length. Bowling with a little nip, Kabir hit the seam, moving the ball away from the right-hander. Sure enough, Kabir claimed the first success, Hussain brilliantly caught above his head by Anurag Singh at mid-on.

Graham Napier joined Darren Robinson, the pair initially unable to keep the momentum Hussain had set. Stuart Lampitt was his usual miserly self, though Kabir looked the more threatening. After attempting several lusty blows, Napier was caught by Lampitt at long-on from the bowling of Sheriyar. Andy Flower announced his arrival with a classy straight drive and a lazy clip over the leg side to the fence. Robinson's stoic 46 ended with a misjudged single, and fast work by David Leatherdale negated the need for the third umpire.

While Flower's runs came with an almost nonchalant ease, Irani was all hustle and bustle. Eager to go over the top, he hammered Donald over long-on as Flower turned the strike over regularly. Irani's first six would have looked good on the baseball diamond, a mighty heave over mid-wicket from a Lampitt full toss. A mid-pitch mix-up ended Flower's knock, Leatherdale claiming his second run-out with an easy run to the stumps. Not one to brood for long, Irani launched the hapless Sheriyar – who had already missed two catches – over the on-side for six.

Irani celebrated his fifty with another huge six, Sheriyar dispatched over long-on again. Next ball, thinking the ball had passed `keeper Steve Rhodes, Irani left his ground. Rhodes whipped off the bails to end an innings which must leave the Essex faithful wondering why Irani is not in England's one-day set-up. A third run-out saw Aftab Habib floundering, bringing big-hitting Jon Dakin to the wicket. An impressive death spell from Kabir bought three more wickets, as Dakin and England player Paul Grayson failed to capitalise.

Despite a disappointing end, Essex will be delighted with their final total. Worcestershire's strong batting line-up are capable of anything, but the home side should be confident of a trip to Lord's.

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