Outlaws Director of Cricket Mick Newell has challenged his squad to once again play with no fear in their NatWest T20 Blast campaign, starting with the opening fixture against Birmingham Bears tomorrow.
Having stumbled at the quarter-final stage in the last four years, a lot of focus has been put on whether the Outlaws, under the white ball captaincy of James Taylor, can go one step further in this year's competition.
However, Newell has put that to the back of his mind and is determined to get off to a winning start against the reigning champions.
“We are not even thinking about the quarter-final as it is the start of a new tournament and there are 14 games between any side and the knockout stages.
“Everyone in the dressing room is excited for that first game and it is always great to play the side that won it last year,” he said.
“We have an exciting array of talent at our disposal in the batting department that plays without any fear.
“They are a group of players that hit the ball a long way and play the format all over the world, which gives them a lot of confidence.
“On top of that there is a lot of skill in the bowling department and combining that with the batting, it will make us an attractive and competitive side."
Newell has announced that Brendan Taylor will keep wicket against the Bears with Chris Read missing out on selection and Greg Smith in line for his first team debut.
"We've decided to try Brendan as wicketkeeper early in the tournament," Newell said.
"He is very experienced with the gloves and recently performed well for Zimbabwe during the World Cup.
"It's about the balance of the team at this stage, but we'll need our whole squad during the course of the competition and expect Chris to still play a lot of one-day cricket, whilst also continuing his role in the four day side in which he's doing very well."
With advanced ticket sales soaring and a clear weather forecast, Notts are expecting to welcome a crowd in excess of 10,000 for the televised tournament opener.
And Newell believes the Trent Bridge support has a huge part to play in creating an atmosphere that inspires the team.
“It definitely makes a difference for the players to play in front of the big crowds we get and the buzz that is created from them,” said Newell.
“We get some of the biggest crowds in the country and we have a good reputation of playing at home, which hopefully brings more people down to watch us.
“T20 is the domestic opportunity for players to show what they can do in front of big crowds and we thrive on those levels of support.
“We consider ourselves to be a decent t20 team and so it's a great challenge for us to start the season strongly.”
Notts Outlaws squad to face Birmingham Bears (from): Jake Ball, Luke Fletcher, Will Gidman, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Vernon Philander, Greg Smith, Brendan Taylor (Wicketkeeper), James Taylor (Captain), Riki Wessels and Sam Wood
Birmingham Bears squad to face Notts Outlaws (from): Tim Ambrose, Keith Barker, Varun Chopra (Captain), Rikki Clarke, Laurie Evans, Ateeq Javid, Tom Lewis, Jeetan Patel, William Porterfield, Josh Poysden, Boyd Rankin, Jonathon Webb and Chris Wright.
Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast Fixtures & Ticket Information
v Birmingham Bears - Friday 15 May 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Yorkshire Vikings – Friday 22 May 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Durham Jets – Sunday 31 May 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Leicestershire Foxes – Friday 5 June 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Northamptonshire Steelbacks – Saturday 27 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Worcestershire Rapids – Friday 3 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 10 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
Season tickets include access to all seven group stage home fixtures and a rain guarantee.
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