Peter Trego has backed Notts Outlaws’ chances of Royal London Cup success as he prepares to captain the Green and Golds in their season opener against Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Sunday.

New Notts signing Matthew Montgomery has been named in the 14-man squad for the fixture. 

Trego has been named the Outlaws’ skipper for the campaign with previous incumbent Haseeb Hameed’s selection in England’s Test squad ruling him out of the latter stages of the tournament. 

Having captained the Second XI this season and garnered prior success in the competition with Somerset, Trego is primed to assume the role, and is champing at the bit to begin Notts' quest for glory.

“Taking the captain’s armband for any Notts team in any competition is an honour, and I am really excited to get started,” he said.

“I have captained a lot of the players in the Second XI this year, and I formed a great little working relationship with them, so to be able to move that forward into the first team is great. 

“In some ways, 50 overs is probably my favourite format because of the tactical balance you need to strike, and the fact it has always been a prestigious competition in domestic cricket.”

Whilst Trego may have already shown a penchant for leadership already this season, he is aware that the official title may force him to make some difficult decisions. 

But, with 198 List A games under his belt, he believes his experience puts him in the best spot to make those calls. 

“Taking control of the captaincy adds a dimension, in terms of the player-captain relationship, and I have no doubt that throughout the competition I will have to make some tough calls,” he said.

“But that won’t create any issues because the lads know the difficult decisions are for the good of the team. 

“The competition is just hugely exciting. List A cricket has been around for a long time, but this has a fresh feel to it because of The Hundred taking certain players away, and opportunities that have been created for others who may not have featured in previous years.”

For the first time in its history, the 50-over competition will culminate at Trent Bridge, and the prospect of competing for silverware on home turf is an enticing one for Trego and his charges. 

“All the teams will provide a tough test; it’s not like First-Class counties only have 11 players, every side has 20+ players who are hugely capable cricketers, who can all win games by themselves,” he said. 

“Likewise, we have some great players on our side. There is Ben Slater with a great List A record, Hass [Hameed], who will still be with us for the first few games, Joey Evison who is one of the most exciting young all-rounders in the country, and Luke Fletcher who is one of the best white-ball bowlers in the country. We still have serious resources at our disposal. 

“The aim for us is to win every game we play. Looking into a crystal ball and seeing Notts walking out in front of a packed home crowd for a final in the Royal London Cup would, of course, be special

"If that doesn’t inspire us to play some strong cricket over the next few weeks, we are probably in the wrong job.”