Brett Hutton is determined to help Nottinghamshire move a step closer to winning all three competitions they have entered this 2017 summer when they host Worcestershire at Trent Bridge tomorrow for a table-topping Division Two County Championship clash.
Although the 24-year-old was not called upon to play, he was part of the victorious squad to claim the NatWest T20 Blast trophy at Edgbaston on Saturday.
That success followed the Royal London One-Day Cup triumph at Lord’s in early July, meaning Notts Outlaws have both one-day trophies in the cabinet.
The Club now has just three matches left this season – all four-day matches – and currently head the second-placed Pears in the race for the Division Two title by 32 points.
Doncaster-born Hutton and his team-mates know that a victory over their rivals would go a long way towards ensuring an immediate return to Division One at the first attempt.
In fact, there is an outside chance that if all the results from this next round of matches go in the Club’s favour, they could win promotion by the end of the week, leaving them with top spot to fight for.
“We have had a really good season in the Championship so far and people have now started to ask about whether we can go all the way through the season unbeaten (the team has recorded seven wins and four draws so far),” said Hutton.
“But it is not something we have thought about. All that matters to us staying on track for the Division Two title and getting back in the top division, which has been the aim from the start of the season.
“Worcestershire is the game we are focusing on now and we will try to tick them off until, hopefully, we have enough points to make sure we win the league.”
Hutton has spent a chunk of the season waiting for his chance, finding himself behind international players Stuart Broad and James Pattinson in the pecking order.
But with Broad back with England and Pattinson at home in Australia, the seamer has been recalled in the County Championship and taken his opportunity with both hands.
He took five wickets in each innings for a match-winning haul of 10-126 on his return to the side against Derbyshire and followed that up with 3-25 and 2-69 against Northants in another victory last week.
Hutton said: “It’s obviously a little bit frustrating when you are in squads and not getting in the team, but we’ve had a very good and very successful squad here this season, and everyone can’t play all the time.
“You just have to be patient, stay fit and ready and make the most of it when you do get the nod. I’m pleased with the way it’s gone so far and I’m hoping to keep it going.
“Sometimes you can bowl really well and not get the rewards and sometimes things go your way. It’s pleasing that things have gone for me and I’ve been able to take the wickets I have in the last two matches.”
Tomorrow, Notts are set to come up against talented spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is ranked the third best bowler in the world by the ICC and has 292 Test wickets to his name.
The Indian player has been recruited by Worcestershire for a short-term stint and he took 3-94 and 5-68 against Gloucestershire last week.
“It’s always a good test to play against the best players in the world, but I don’t think we will approach our batting any differently from normal,” Hutton said.
“We have put some good totals on the board all season and, with the batting line-up we have, we’ll be looking to do the same again.”
Young seamer Matt Milnes has been added to a 14-man squad for what will be Chris Read’s last game for the Nottinghamshire first team at Trent Bridge.
Nottinghamshire squad to face Worcestershire tomorrow (from): Brendan Taylor, Jake Libby, Cheteshwar Pujara, Steven Mullaney, Chris Read, Riki Wessels, Alex Hales, Harry Gurney, Luke Wood, Mark Footitt, Samit Patel, Brett Hutton, Jake Ball, Matt Milnes.