The view from New Road

By Ben Smith
Worcestershire batsman

Injured Ben Smith missed his side's 94-run defeat against Ireland.

The talk at New Road this week will be of that defeat against Ireland in the Friends Provident Trophy.

It was a real shock to the players. It was more disbelief than anything. Nothing had been done differently from any other games.

Our preparations were the same as for the games when we twice beat Hampshire, for instance. So, physically, we went into the game in a strong position.

But it was just a reminder that, in one-day cricket, that can happen.

Somebody, one player, can win you the game.

The guy who took the wickets for them, Peter Connell, had his tail up and the pitch was conducive to a bit of seam.

You can doubt the mental application maybe more than anything, but there was no reason why that should have happened.

You get those days when everything goes right for you, or wrong for you.

The way we beat Hampshire at New Road on a testing pitch, when we posted a good total and then bowled them out, you can see how that might happen.

We look back to the group and look at the positions we had here against Leicester, knocking the runs off, and that was a situation we should not have thrown away.

But against Ireland we were never in it with the bat.

There is no doubt about it that, if we had been 120 for five or six, instead of being 21-6, they would have been flatter and we would maybe have cruised home.

WORCS worst one-day scores

56 v Ireland (New Road), Friends Provident Trophy, May 2009

70 v Gloucestershire (New Road), Benson & Hedges Cup, April 2002

81 v Leicestershire (New Road), Benson & Hedges Cup, May 1983

86 v Yorks (Headingley), Player's County League, June 1969

89 v Middlesex (Lord's), John Player League, June 1983

90 v Warwickshire (Edgbaston), John Player League, July 1970

I missed the Ireland game with an injury. It's a bit of something going on behind my left kneecap, but it has settled down a bit.

It's a bit of wear and tear I think.

I did miss some cricket earlier in the season with a dislocated finger. But I am happy the knee is clearing up with some anti-inflammatory drugs and it's feeling better already.

I hope to be back for the Twenty20 game against Gloucestershire on Sunday at New Road.

The Twenty20 is all razzamatazz and running around. And everything happens so quickly.

The better teams in Twenty 20 are the ones with experienced players who can take a deep breath, calm down and don't let the situations go to their heads.

My role is to hold the innings together in that middle-to-late order, going into those last few overs, and I don't particularly feature in the power plays.

But there are times when I have been able to go out and express myself and it's a great feeling.

My Benefit Year is beginning to build up.

We have our first cricket match at Belbroughton on 2 June.

Everyone will be more than welcome.

May has been a bit quiet but we have managed to get ahead with some of the events.

We also have an asparagus night coming up, a comedy evening and the Summer Ball on 4 July, which will be a big event

You can follow all the details on my website bensmithbenefit.com.

Ben Smith was talking to BBC Hereford and Worcester's Dave Bradley.