Opener Jake Libby is determined to convert more good starts into meaningful scores as Nottinghamshire return to Specsavers County Championship cricket when they host Leicestershire at Trent Bridge tomorrow (Monday, 11am start).
The 24-year-old opening batsman has one century to his name so far this season, registering 109 against Glamorgan in May, and has contributed 285 runs at an average of 31.66 overall.
Although relatively pleased with his efforts to date, the Plymouth-born right-hander is hoping to ‘cash in’ more frequently as the 2017 summer progresses to further cement his place at the top of the order.
“I feel like I’m in good touch, but it has been a little bit frustrating because I have had lots of 30s and 40s, but not always gone on as I would like,” said Libby.
“As we have batted pretty well in a lot of our first innings, and some of the pitches we have played on have been quite flat, or the weather has been bad, I haven’t always had the chance to bat in the second innings either.
“I’ve quite often managed to help see off the new ball, but now my aim is to convert more often and turn those starts into fifties and hundreds.”
Libby has sat out the recent Royal London One-Day Cup wins against Somerset and the Essex Eagles, giving him a chance to rest, something that he thinks he will benefit from as four-day cricket returns.
Libby added: “I would love to be involved in the one-day stuff, and I’m working on my game so that hopefully I will be part of it in the future, but it has been an opportunity to recharge the batteries.
“If we perform well, then it’s a good chance to get some points on the board ahead of what will be an interesting day-night game against Kent." Jake Libby
“I’ve had a couple of days to relax, but then I’ve been back hitting balls to make sure I’m prepared and ready for when called upon.”
Nottinghamshire won by 10 wickets at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road in what was their opening game of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two season back in April.
The hosts batted first and scored 251 before Peter Moores’ side replied with 329, led by James Pattinson’s 89 not out.
Pattinson then took 5-29 and Luke Fletcher 4-35 as Leicestershire were skittled for 81, allowing Nottinghamshire to knock off the nine runs needed for victory.
“Leicestershire can be a dangerous side with some of the experienced players they now have and they’ll certainly be no complacency from us,” said Libby.
“Mark Cosgrove has scored a lot of runs for them and is a dangerous player, and in Ben Raine (who took a First-Class career-best 6-66 against Nottinghamshire in April) and Zak Chappell they have bowlers who made it hard for us when we last played them.
“If we perform well, then it’s a good chance to get some points on the board ahead of what will be an interesting day-night game against Kent, who are going well themselves – but only if we do perform.”
Jake Ball returns to the Nottinghamshire squad having been made available to play by the ECB following the completion of the ICC Champions Trophy.
The England seamer's last Specsavers County Championship match was the innings victory over Sussex, which started on 21 April.
Pattinson is also back in contention for his adopted county after being part of the Australia Champions Trophy squad.
Nottinghamshire squad to face Leicestershire (from): Brendan Taylor, Jake Libby, James Pattinson, Steven Mullaney, Chris Read, Stuart Broad, Riki Wessels, Harry Gurney, Luke Fletcher, Samit Patel, Brett Hutton, Jake Ball and Michael Lumb.
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