Mick Newell will include Bilal Shafayat and Alex Hales in the Notts Outlaws team to face Leicestershire Foxes at Oakham school on Wednesday after deciding to leave out Will Jefferson and Matt Wood.
The Notts openers had a tough time in Monday’s win over Ireland with Jefferson bowled for a duck and Wood scoring 11.
“It’s difficult to find form in the first team and there is an opportunity for them both to play for the second eleven with less pressure on their shoulders,” said Newell.
“Both have been guilty of some poor shots but both have been caught once down the leg side which is always unfortunate but it’s fair to say that a lack of confidence can cause indecision.
“Bilal has been a regular first team cricketer for four years now and it made no sense to leave him on the sidelines when the openers were struggling to find form.
“We thought about making changes earlier but I’m always keen to give experienced players the chance to put things right.
“The player in possession of the shirt will always have the chance to hold on to it with good performances and it’s up to Will and Matt to work hard to win back their places.”
Shafayat will open the batting alongside Graeme Swann while Hales will join the middle order after striking 140 for Clifton in the Notts Premier League on Monday.
“Alex has done very well for his club side this season and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the step up to this level,” said Newell.
“We know what we’ll get with Swanny, he’ll look for boundaries to build our score early on and hopefully he can adjust and take it further once he gets settled.”
Andre Adams is also in contention for a place and Paul Franks has been included in the 12-man squad in place of Luke Fletcher.
With progression already assured, victory will guarantee a home draw in the quarter-finals.
Notts (from): Bilal Shafayat, Graeme Swann, Mark Wagh, Adam Voges, Samit Patel, Chris Read, Alex Hales, Andre Adams, Mark Ealham, Darren Pattinson, Charlie Shreck, Paul Franks