A LATE onslaught cost NatWest T20 Blast North Group contenders Worcestershire Rapids tonight as they lost by two runs to Northamptonshire Steelbacks at New Road.

Eighth-wicket Steelbacks pair Steven Crook and Rory Kleinveldt thrashed 62 runs from 3.1 overs before the latter was caught on the straight boundary from the last ball of their innings after hitting six sixes in a match-turning 42 from 12 deliveries.

Having lifted the visitors to a formidable 193-8, South African Kleinveldt led the next phase with the first-ball dismissal of Moeen Ali before Rapids were held to 191-6 in a brave attempt to extend a three-match winning run.

Moeen's exit capped a night of mishaps for England players.

David Willey's return from the one-day internationals ended in discomfort after damaging an ankle when bumping into Jack Shantry while making 31 from 12 balls at the start of Northants' innings.

With Willey unable to bowl when the Rapids batted, Moeen bowed out tamely when driving to extra cover in his final County appearance before joining England's pre-Ashes training camp in Spain this weekend.

Perhaps it was a sign of the pressure that came from losing control in the late stages of the Northants innings.

If Kleinveldt was the super-charged force, Crook was not far behind with an undefeated 56 from 35 balls as Steelbacks kicked on from 131-7 in the 17th over.

The transformation began when Kleinveldt launched a sequence of four, six and six from Saeed Ajmal's last three balls.

The expensive Shantry's final over then cost 24 runs and Kleinveldt spoiled Ed Barnard's figures with three consecutive sixes from the closing over.

Steelbacks also made a flying start. Richard Levi made 19 from 11 balls until being caught at deep mid-wicket and Willey hit two sixes before limping out of his accidental collision with Shantry.

After treatment, he cleared the rope twice more before top-edging Ajmal to short fine leg.

The middle of the innings was less convincing with only Alex Wakely (23) making significant progress against Worcestershire's three spinners.

After brilliantly running out Josh Cobb (2), Brett D'Oliveira bowled his four overs for 26 runs and one wicket.

Worcestershire made a bold attempt to keep up with the run-rate in a partnership of 76 in just short of eight overs by captain Daryl Mitchell (34) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (36).

But wickets began to fall, most damagingly when Colin Munro (33) was caught at long-off in a brilliant over from Muhammad Azharullah.

Still, Rapids kept going with an unbeaten 41 from 39 balls by Ross Whiteley and support from Ben Cox (24) in a late stand of 54.

However, man-of-the-match Kleinveldt had the last word with two crucial overs when he dismissed Cox and conceded only one boundary.

With 14 wanted from the last over, Whiteley drove Azharullah's first five balls for twos but could only manage a leg-bye from the last.