Notts Outlaws are preparing for NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day on Saturday, and Greg Smith is dreaming of producing a trophy winning performance.

The 27-year-old batsman, whose half-century was critical to the quarter-final victory over Essex, says ten other Outlaws must have the same aim if they are to secure the back to back victories required.

“The dream is a Notts win, but the icing on the cake would be to put in a matchwinning performance,” he says.

“After we lost our first two games we sat down and had quite a frank & honest conversation.

“What came out of that was that all 11 guys need to go onto the pitch with the attitude of being man of the match, and I’ve tried to take that forward.

“If you can be the difference in the semi-final or final, you know you can walk a bit taller and that’s ultimately why we all play the game.”

Ahead of his heroics against the Eagles in the last eight, Smith collected the post match champagne following victory at Edgbaston over the Birmingham Bears.

His temperament for the big occasion had already been highlighted by a valiant century in the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final against Surrey back in 2015.

“As a player, you put more value on an innings and contributions when you do win,” says Smith.

“In the run to finals day, I’ve had a couple good days; at Edgbaston and the quarter finals. You always want to be adding value to what is a good team and that’s exciting.

“It’s always nice to have done well previously at a ground, and to have recent runs in the competition, but finals day will be such a whirlwind that I won’t be thinking too deeply about any of that.

“Finals day is a massive deal. It was awesome to win the quarter-final in-front of such a good crowd - and ever since we won I’ve been excited about this weekend.”

Despite the grandeur of the occasion, Smith insists that the Outlaws are readying themselves for the challenge in the same way as any other game.

“I’ve always been a bit sceptical about massively changing your preparation,” he adds.

“We’ve won nine on the spin, so we’ll keep it very similar to what we’ve been doing.

“We have been quite relaxed as a group; enjoyed our cricket and played with freedom.

“If we do that on finals day with the players we’ve got and the form we’re in, it should be enough.”

Greg Smith was appearing, alongside Outlaws teammate Jake Ball, on the Nottingham Business Improvement District's Summer Sofa.

 

Notts Outlaws will face Northants Steelbacks in the first NatWest T20 Blast semi-final at Saturday's Finals Day at Edgbaston.

Visit Trent Bridge Live on Saturday for live commentary, updates, ball-by-ball scorecard and statistics.