Tom Moores says Notts Outlaws will be motivated by the masses watching at home when they face Derbyshire Falcons on Sunday.
The Outlaws have named a 14-man squad for the fixture, with Lyndon James replacing Luke Fletcher who has picked up a slight injury, which will see them aiming for a fifth straight victory in the Vitality Blast competition.
Squad: Jake Ball, Matthew Carter, Zak Chappell, Dan Christian, Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, Alex Hales, Lyndon James, Tom Moores, Steven Mullaney, Chris Nash, Samit Patel, Peter Trego, Imad Wasim.
Knowing that Notts have routinely been backed by tens of thousands of online supporters in each of their T20 matches so far, and buoyed by a comprehensive victory over Lancashire, Moores says he’ll be treating the local derby clash as though Trent Bridge is packed out with fans.
“Every game we play, we know there’s a full house watching on the live stream,” said the wicketkeeper.
“We’ll obviously miss them being here. We’ve just got to put on a show, entertain and ultimately get over the line for all those who are watching.
“It was a top of the table clash against Lancashire and we won quite convincingly, which sends a real message to the other teams in the group.
“We’re playing with great freedom and looking a really dangerous side, which is exciting.”
Notts’ batting line-up has taken the majority of the plaudits so far, with Dan Christian’s side having chased totals to win in each of their four completed fixtures.
Moores, whose unbeaten 31 carried his side over the line against the Red Rose, is eager to share the praise with the bowlers.
“Some of the bowling has been incredible,” he said. “How we knocked the runs off against Lancashire reflects how well we bowled on a good wicket.
“Through the middle, Imad, Samit and Mull were really challenging to hit.
“Mull goes under the radar, but he’s one of our key men. You look up at the scoreboard, he’s gone for no runs and he’s generally got a wicket or two as well.”
Confined to the role of finisher during the tournament to date, Moores could perhaps be forgiven for craving his own showman’s share of the limelight.
Nothing, in fact, could be further from the truth.
“The likes of myself, Dan Christian, Samit Patel and Imad Wasim have hardly been needed at times so far.
“And the way Joe Clarke is striking at the moment, I think he’s hitting them better than anyone in the world!
“We keep knocking totals off, and I still don’t think we’ve played our best cricket yet.
“There’s more to come from all of us and the freedom everyone is playing with is great to watch.
“If it remains the case that the middle-order hasn’t got too much to do, we’re doing something right.
“There’s a lot of firepower in the tank, so we’re in a great place.”
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