"It's frustrating when no one could bat alongside Mahela today to chase down that total," leftie Worker lamented after CD miss out on hosting the three-side playoffs on their newly christened turf at Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth, on Friday night.
It goes without saying the master class of Jayawardene in four matches provided the impetus CD needed and it seems a shame he wasn't able to fly in from the word go to bolster their campaign.
Worker said CD were a young side but "there are no excuses".
"Mahela was great for us, not just on the park but what he brought into the dressing rooms so we enjoyed having him here," he said of the retired international who carved up three half tons from four outings
Nevertheless, the domestic T20 competition this summer kept the fans in suspense to the final round with five out of the six sides, barring defending champions Mighty Ape Wellington Firebirds, still in the hunt.
SBS Bank Otago Volts stormed into the playoffs as top qualifiers after beating Sky City Northern Districts Knights yesterday to play runners-up Mondiale Auckland Aces on Friday night for the right to progress directly to the grand final on Sunday.
The losers will play the Kings in a sudden-death elimination final this Saturday.
Worker relished the situation of playing yesterday's game "as if it was our final, a do-or-die situation".
"We would have liked to have won today but we'll just have to wait for next year," said the 26-year-old from Manawatu who assumed the mantle of captaincy from veteran Kruger van Wyk three rounds ago after Malan saw the benefit of handing the wicketkeeping gloves to Dane Cleaver and injecting a fifth seamer which yielded two wins on the trot.
It was unclear last night if Van Wyk, who didn't travel with the Stags to Christchurch but helped with training at Nelson Park, Napier, last week, would carry on in the Budget Rental-sponsored four-day Plunket Shield campaign against the Kings in Rangiora resuming on December 17 or the Ford Trophy one-day competition which starts for CD, hosting Canterbury, at McLean Park, Napier, on Sunday, December 27.
"I don't know. I'm sure he'll be involved," said Worker when asked if Van Wyk would be back at the helm.
The incumbent said he had enjoyed his brief three-match stint as captain.
"We have a pretty relaxed bunch of guys who enjoy cricket," he said, adding he had not put himself out of bowling off-spinners as skipper but simply acted in response to what a wicket offered.
"If it had offered more turn I would have probably bowled more overs but we have used an extra seamer in the team," he said of Bevan Small who returned from injury.
With Andrew Mathieson, of Napier, the 12th man yesterday and Van Wyk out the CD side didn't have any Hawke's Bay players in the line up.
Mathieson, who returned from injury last week, should be back in the other campaigns.
Worker said what was pleasing was Stags "putting their hands up at the right time" to do the job in the T20 competition.
He said Adam Milne had done a fine job with the help of CD bowling coach Jacob Oram, who will return for the one-dayers.
