Head Coach Peter Moores is looking forward to returning to home comforts as Nottinghamshire head into the business end of their County Championship campaign.
The clash with Yorkshire, which starts tomorrow (September 4), is the first of Notts’ final three red ball games of the season with each game taking place at Trent Bridge.
For Moores and his side the sight of their home turf will be a welcome one following two heavy defeats on the road to Hampshire and league leaders Surrey.
“It’s always good to get home,” he said.
“It feels like we haven’t played here for a bit, certainly in Championship cricket, so it’s nice to actually have three home games in a row, get in front of our own fans and hopefully play some good cricket.”
After disappointing defeats by an innings both of their previous County Championship outings, Moores knows Notts must improve in all areas in their final games.
But the experienced coach is confident his side will respond.
“We need to get some more runs there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
“I think we all know we’ve struggled with the bat in the last two or three Championship games and also bowling wise we’ve got to be stay consistent to create pressure over longer periods of time.
“I think no one is hiding from the fact that we’ve got to improve our performance.
“It’s a big game this one against Yorkshire first up it’s a chance for us to get another win and get some momentum back into our season to make sure we finish strong.”
This season’s County Championship Division One is shaping up to be another close year with just 25 points separating Essex in third and Yorkshire in seventh; the final relegation spot.
Notts currently sit fourth in the table, three points off Essex and 22 above Yorkshire and with the table so tightly packed, Moores knows the importance of picking up wins from the teams around them in the table.
“Points have always been king so credit to Surrey they’ve played good cricket and Somerset as well, they’re the two stand out sides so far this season,” he said.
“Yorkshire are obviously just below us so it’s a chance if we can play well and win the game, you’re going to start looking at trying to cement the top three spot; if you don’t play so well suddenly things can start to get tight.
“I don’t think anybody is hiding from the reality that we’ve got to play better cricket and the key is we need eleven blokes to get out there and get stuck in and hopefully play some good cricket over the next four days.”
With the next three games proving vital in Notts red ball season, Moores is expecting his side to dig in during a tough period of the season.
“At the moment the way I see it is this is about playing good, tough, hard cricket,” he said.
“It’s the business end of the season, it’s about getting stuck in and making sure you can complete the role you’ve got in the team.
“If that’s for the batter to try and work hard, if you’re lucky enough to get yourself in, it’s about going on and getting a big score; it’s similar as a bowler to be able to create pressure with your mate at the other end over a period of time.”
Despite poor recent form Notts have made another new addition to their squad in the form of Ben Duckett following the arrival of Ben Slater from Derbyshire last week.
The all format batsman arrived from Northants, initially on loan before signing a three-year deal at Trent Bridge and will go straight into the squad for the Yorkshire game after passing a fitness test.
Nottinghamshire squad to face Yorkshire (from): Jake Libby, Steven Mullaney (c), Mark Footitt, Riki Wessels, Harry Gurney, Luke Wood, Matt Milnes, Luke Fletcher, Samit Patel, Tom Moores (wk), Ben Slater, Kraigg Brathwaite and Ben Duckett.
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