NEVER before have Worcestershire reached Twenty20 finals day.

They are one of only two teams that unwanted tag.

But tomorrow that could all change with Hampshire standing between them and a place at Edgbaston in two weeks’ time.

Yet the eagerly-awaited quarter-final has not exactly come at the right time for Steve Rhodes’ side.

At the end of last month they were in fine fettle, winning four out of five matches played in securing their place in the last eight of the quick fire format, as well as recording an LV= County Championship Division One triumph against Hampshire.

Now, they have lost five consecutive Royal London One-Day Cup matches on the bounce and find themselves second-from-bottom of Group ‘A’.

The momentum they had built up throughout the NatWest T20 Blast has all but evaporated.

There have still been some decent performances to crow about, not least the unbeaten 131 from Joe Clarke against Gloucestershire and Joe Leach’s stunning hat-trick against Northamptonshire.

But winning is a habit that unfortunately Worcestershire currently aren’t in.

In such circumstances it must make them curse the schedule, having to wait so long for the T20 to resume. It also makes you wonder whether Worcestershire have allowed their focus to wander.

With survival in LV= County Championship paramount, and the prospect of success in the T20 potentially on the horizon, it is easy to see how that could happen.

Staying in the top flight and reaching Edgbaston were the chief goals for this season and they remain within reach, despite defeat to Notts n the Championship this week.

The fact they are still without a win in the one-dayers is unlikely to change that mindset.

Now, with the Notts match done and dusted, they can finally switch their focus to Hampshire at New Road, a fixture that has been sold out for the best part of a week.

Whatever has happened in the past few weeks, Worcestershire will be looking to draw on the determined displays that got them to the quarter-finals in the first place.

That will then give them every chance of realising their dream of reaching T20 finals day.