2023 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2023 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 20 “HASEEB HAMEED HAS THE RESILIENCE, DETERMINATION AND MENTALITY REQUIRED TO BE A STRONG SUCCESSOR TO STEVEN MULLANEY.” Mick Newell especially given the points awarded for a draw will return to eight from five next year – but we must seek to assert ourselves in games and put ourselves in winning positions. The appointment of Haseeb Hameed as club captain will provide a fresh perspective as we strive to do so. He led an injury-stricken side impressively at Surrey, and he has the resilience, determination and mentality required to be a strong successor to Steven Mullaney, who has ended his six-year tenure at the helm. Steven himself has given everything to Nottinghamshire whilst with us. The experience of a challenging red-ball period weighed heavy on his shoulders in 2019, but he nav- igated us through that tough time, leading astutely and maintaining the respect of the team. His achievement of captaining us to the DivisionTwo trophy in 2022 with so much expectation shouldn’t be underestimated, and he played an important role in helping us to consolidate last year. His attributes will stand him and Notts in good stead as he assumes a player/coach role - one which we believe can help develop the strong crop of talent coming through as they seek to understand what is required of them if they are to make the step up to the first team. In the Vitality Blast, we were inconsistent with eight wins and six loses in the group stages, albeit we still extended our exceptional recent qualification record by reaching our 12th quarter-final in 14 seasons. However, we were frustrated not to have gone further, having got ourselves into a strong position in Taunton. Our experiences across the tournament should fuel our desire to be better in those pressure moments. Joe Clarke complemented his First- Class contributions by producing several explosive displays and finishing as our top run-scorer with 432, while Tom Moores performed well and deserves praise for getting us over the line on multiple occasions in the group stages. Shaheen Afridi delivered the box- office performances of which we knew he was capable; his yorker to dismiss Jos Buttler, and his four- wicket first over against Birmingham Bears, stand out as two of the most entertaining moments of the season at Trent Bridge. While Colin Munro’s tournament was impeded by injury, he showed why he was brought to the club with an ability to attack from the outset. Both he and Samit Patel displayed their dedication by working as hard as they did to be fit for our knock- out game against Somerset. Our challenge now, in a period of transition, is to maintain our ambition to reach Finals Day and secure silverware whilst embracing change in the side. Players must take responsibility and capitalise upon the opportunities they are given. Joe is well-placed as an individual and player to spearhead that effort next year and beyond as captain. He has played franchise cricket around the world, learning from others and about his own game, and has the character to bring those in the dressing room along with him on the journey. We also saw individual contributions