Peter Moores has praised the contributions of the more senior members of his Outlaws squad as they travel to local rivals Derbyshire Falcons tomorrow.
Notts have named unchanged squad for the trip, after their T20 Vitality Blast win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
Notts squad (from): Jake Ball, Sol Budinger, Matt Carter, Dan Christian (c), Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, Luke Fletcher, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Jake Libby, Tom Moores, Chris Nash, Samit Patel, Luke Wood.
The Notts Head Coach has seen his side bolstered by the likes of skipper Dan Christian, Alex Hales and Harry Gurney for the Vitality Blast, and he feels that their guile was a crucial factor in guiding the green and golds to success over the Steelbacks.
“All the senior lads who have come back in have added maturity to the group as well as quality,” said Moores.
“Dan is in his fourth year captaining the side, so he knows what he wants from the group, and his style is well-suited to what we need.
“He’s passionate about keeping things simple, and playing good, aggressive cricket.
“He bowled well against Northants, and was key with the bat in getting us over the line with Tom [Moores].
“It’s really exciting to have someone like that in the side.”
The win over Northants was Notts' first of the season in the Blast, after defeat to Worcestershire and an abandonment at Emerald Headingley.
But Moores insists that the mood in the squad was still positive even as the side searched for their first victory.
“There’s been a really good mood in the camp since we started the T20,” he said.
“I think even in the Worcestershire game we went about things the right way, but they just played really well.
“There’s a mixture of relief and a bit of a release of frustration amongst the players having got over the line.
“We know we’re a good white-ball team, but we’re a new-look team, so we’re pleased to have got off and running."
After Northants posted 152 from their 20 overs, Alex Hales (33) and Joe Clarke (45) stamped their authority on the run chase, with the duo putting on 79 for the first wicket.
And Moores reserved particular praise for Clarke’s contributions.
“It was lovely to see Joe get some time in the middle and get some runs,” said Moores.
“[Faheem] Ashraf put him under some pressure in his first over, but he stayed calm, and he played really well.
“We looked in control all the way through the run chase, which was nice to see.”
The rain-off at Headingley means Notts’ trip to the Pattonair County Ground will be their first away fixture in this year’s Blast, but Moores is confident that his side will continue to receive a vociferous backing as they head on their travels.
“A lot of our fans will probably make the trip, so I think there’ll be plenty of people shouting for us,” he said.
“The mood in the ground on Wednesday was a really good one, and a lot of that was set by the fans.
“There was a lovely hum about the place from the moment the crowd got in – they were in great voice.”
The Outlaws squad for the trip to Derby once again includes Sol Budinger, after the batsman was named in a first-team party for the first time for the Steelbacks clash.
And Moores has been impressed with Budinger’s second team contributions.
“We’ve always known he’s a talented white-ball player, but he’s now started to find a bit more consistency,” said Moores.
“He’s an expressive player with strong wrists, but he’s found a way to be consistent with it, and he’s played very well for the seconds in the T20 warm-ups.
“We’re seeing several younger players starting to emerge now across all formats, which is credit to the work they’ve done and the work of everyone around them. It’s lovely to see.”
*******
Following a record midweek crowd of 13,691 against Northamptonshire Steelbacks, there are five further opportunities to catch the Outlaws in T20 action at Trent Bridge this summer.