Another week of Specsavers County Championship cricket, another gargantuan battle in Division One as Nottinghamshire face Middlesex.
After a week that saw Jake Ball impress in a battle of numerous international players at Trent Bridge, further England hopefuls will battle it out at Lord’s.
Alex Hales heads to the capital on the back of scores of 36 & 34 against reigning champions Yorkshire, with the game against Middlesex providing the last chance for the opener to impress and maintain his place at the top of England’s order.
Meanwhile, with the likes of Ball putting in performances that have put his name forward for potential selection alongside Stuart Broad and James Anderson, Steven Finn will be looking for a strong performance before the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Hales’ first class record has spanned seven seasons, in which he has scored 5,682 runs at an average of 37.62, a set of stats that secured him a berth on the Pakistan and South Africa tours over the winter.
However, despite a half century in his debut series, Hales struggled to tie down the place at the top of the order with his 136 runs across eight innings coming at an average of 17.
Despite the vast amount of runs scored by many across the County Championship opening rounds, Hales is likely to retain the opening berth alongside national captain Alastair Cook for the Sri Lanka series.
Finn, who has been a regular foil to the opening duo of Broad and Anderson over his career, is also under pressure from a number of county cricket bowlers, particularly Ball, Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan.
The six foot seven inch fast bowler has ten Division One wickets at 31.20 so far in 2016 and will be looking for a beneficial return at the Home of Cricket.
The 27-year-old’s Test record is one to be marvelled at though, his 113 wickets coming at a strike rate of just 47.4, one of the best over the last decade in the longest format.
Once again this key battle will go a long way to deciding the outcome of the Nottinghamshire v Middlesex matchup as Hales will look to negate the new ball bowling of Finn.
The excitement of NatWest T20 Blast returns to Trent Bridge on Friday 20 May as Notts Outlaws face Birmingham Bears in the first of seven home matches in the competition.
Supporters can witness every minute of the action with a NatWest T20 Blast Season Ticket, priced at just £84 (adults), £63 (over 65s) or £203 (family 2+2), with Membership available to U16s at £26 and U21s for £36.
Make Trent Bridge a firm fixture for your Friday nights and secure your seats now.