Opening batsman Joe Clarke says the Outlaws’ weekend will mean nothing, if they come away from Durham without the points on Sunday.
Notts have named an unchanged 14-man squad following victory over Birmingham Bears on Friday night.
Squad (from): Jake Ball, Matt Carter, Dan Christian (c), Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, Luke Fletcher, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Jake Libby, Tom Moores, Chris Nash, Samit Patel, Imad Wasim, Luke Wood.
Fresh off the back of a second emphatic victory in as many weeks over the Bears, second-placed Outlaws make the trip to the Emirates Riverside to face fourth placed Durham.
With just one point between the two sides, and a host of teams snapping at their heels, Clarke knows the importance of picking up a further two points for the Outlaws.
“Ultimately, the weekend means nothing if we come away with no points from Sunday,” said Clarke.
“For the last three Friday nights we have had good performances, but after last Saturday we were harsh on ourselves because it was a match we should have won.
“Everyone was keen to come back out and put on a performance like that against the Bears, but we’ll have to adapt again on Sunday.
“They’re at home, they know how to play the dimensions there. We’ve had a short boundary to deal with at Edgbaston and it’s likely it’ll be a big playing area at Durham.
“We’ll adapt accordingly and hopefully come away with the two points.”
Only one side in the North Group has an unbeaten record so far, Lancashire, and there are just four points separating the Outlaws in second and bottom of the group.
With matches coming thick and fast as is the norm in T20 cricket, Clarke knows the importance of taking nothing in the way of reassurance from the league table.
“It’s scary how close the group is at the moment,” he said.
“It seems that you are only ever two wins away from being in the top three or being towards the bottom of the group.
“You look at results around you and hopefully they go your way, but ultimately we’ve got to keep winning games and take care of our own results.”
Clarke added an unbeaten 47 on Friday night to his 50 a week earlier against the same opposition, taking his Vitality Blast tally to 188 runs at 31.33 from seven knocks to date.
Despite failing to score in the match against Lancashire which sandwiched the Bears fixtures, Clarke says he is building in confidence as the tournament continues.
“T20 cricket can be one of those games where you either come off or you don’t,” said Clarke.
“I’ve had a few decent scores and a few low ones, but that is part and parcel of the game, so it was nice to walk off unbeaten at Birmingham and for us to win the game.
“It’s a confidence game, knowing you back your game over the bowler and that you can clear the ropes.
“I’ve been putting the hard yards in with my training. That, alongside the knocks in previous games, means my confidence is growing as the games progress.”
*******
There are three further opportunities to catch the Outlaws in T20 action at Trent Bridge this summer, with the next home game under the lights against Derbyshire Falcons on Friday 16 August.