Notts Outlaws are preparing for their Royal London One-Day Cup fixture against Kent Spitfires believing they can win from any situation, according to Steven Mullaney.

The Outlaws will put their unbeaten record on the line when they face Sam Northeast’s men with a 2pm start on Monday.

And, although Notts’ quarter-final place is secure, the 28-year-old all-rounder has emphasised the importance of concluding the competition on a high with two victories at Trent Bridge.

“We’ve won every game bar one which got rained out and we have been pretty faultless,” he said.

“No matter what position we’ve got ourselves into in a game, we’ve always believed that we’ve got the players to win from any given situation.

“At Liverpool we struggled a little bit then Brett Hutton and Ready got us over the line. 

“At Essex we were 50-odd for three then we had an unbroken stand between Titch and Samit of over 200.

“We’re in a great place and hopefully we can continue that on Monday and Wednesday. To get through to a home quarter-final with a 100 percent record would be beautiful.

“We want to win every game,” Mullaney, who scored a half-century in the recent victory over Middlesex at Lord’s, continued.

“You don’t want to go into a quarter-final after losing one-or-two games. 

“If we win these two games, we’ve beaten everyone in our group bar Glamorgan, so it will stand us in good stead and give us a psychological advantage if we meet these teams further down the line in the semi-final or final.”

Notts’ impressive 50-over performances have come hot on the heels of a NatWest T20 Blast campaign in which an indifferent start cost them a quarter-final place, despite a run of three back-to-back wins to end the competition.

And although Mullaney insists the Outlaws were capable of a better showing in the shortest format, he accepts that the team is ideally suited to the longer white ball game.

“Given the results we’ve had, it looks like that,” he said. “If you’re leaving players out of the calibre of Michael Lumb, we’ve got a very strong squad and we’re very well suited to that format.

“We’ve got international cricketers throughout our side and it suits us down to the ground. Hopefully we can prove that by going all the way to Lord’s.

“We found a formula quickly for 50 over cricket that we didn’t in 20 overs. If we’d found the formula from the last three T20 games earlier in the competition, I’m sure we’d have gone alright in that too.

“It’s about starting well and luckily in the 50-over competition we did that. If we keep playing the cricket we have been doing - we won’t be too far away.”

With five 50 over victories, two LV= County Championship successes and the three wins that concluded NatWest T20 Blast, Notts have now won each of their last ten completed fixtures in all competitions.

And although Mullaney is a notoriously buoyant and positive member of the Outlaws’ dressing room, even he admits that the magnitude of the team’s recent success has taken him by surprise.

“I wouldn’t have thought I’ve been involved in anything like it before,” he said.

“We’re playing with a lot of freedom and confidence and we believe we can win any game from any circumstance.

“Hopefully that will stand us in good stead going into knockout cricket, and the last few games in the championship where we can still finish in the top two or three.

“This road trip we have just had, if someone told us the results beforehand, I don’t think anyone would have believed them.

“We’re obviously doing something right and hopefully that continues against Kent, who have proved that they are very, very good by finishing top of their group in T20 and starting well in the 50-over competition too.”

 

Royal London One-Day Cup at Trent Bridge: Fixtures & Ticket Information

v Kent Spitfires – Monday 17 August 2pm BUY TICKETS
v Hampshire – Wednesday 19 August 2pm BUY TICKETS

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