MOEEN Ali lit up New Road with a magical all-round performance as Worcestershire Rapids stepped up their NatWest t20 Blast challenge with a crushing eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons with 43 balls to spare.

The England all-rounder took 3-28 as the Falcons were held to 136-7 and then made 65 from 28 ballss in his team’s charge to a third consecutive win in the North Group.

A sighting of the left-hander at his brilliant best in the shortest format is probably not quite what England had in mind when he was left out of the one-day squad against New Zealand to give him time to prepare for the Ashes in the LV= Championship.

As yet, he has not done the red-ball bowling that the selectors wanted but it must still be heartening that elsewhere he is among the wickets as well as scoring runs.

This was his second T20 half-century in five matches and in the process he simply blasted Derbyshire out of contention as the Rapids took 73 off the six-over power play.

At the peak of the onslaught, he went past 50 out of 63 when scoring 24 from an over by Shiv Thakor. In all a marvellous display of touch and timing brought eight fours and four sixes before he was caught at square-leg off Chesney Hughes.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore fell for a quick-fire 19, but Daryl Mitchell remained unbeaten with 33 and Colin Munro (22 not out from nine balls) finished the game with six and four off Alex Hughes.

Derbyshire probably guessed it would not be their night when the lost wickets in each of the first four overs. Hamish Rutherford’s debut was short and fleetingly sweet. He smashed Jack Shantry’s fifth delivery over long-on for six but then chipped the next ball to Kohler-Cadmore at mid-on.

Chesney Hughes edged low to wicketkeeper Ben Cox’s left in the next over from Joe Leach, who then ran out Thakor with a smart return from short third-man to Cox.

Wayne Madsen joined the procession, dabbing a ball from Leach (2-25) to Kohler-Cadmore at slip, and it was only then that the Falcons found some relief as Wes Durston and Scott Elstone mustered 31 at a run-a-ball.

Elstone (21) drove Moeen’s second delivery over the long-on rope but allowed ambition to overtake him later in the over when giving a chance to Ross Whiteley in front of the cover boundary.

Moeen eventually snared Durston, stumped by Cox for 29 when attempting to sweep, and Alex Hughes for 22 when he skied a straightforward catch to bring Leach back into the action at square leg.

With seven down for 91, it proved to be no more than a face-saving exercise as Tom Knight (19 not out) and Tom Poynton (27no) added 45 from the last 5.5 overs.