Brett Hutton is hoping to make Trent Bridge a fortress in the LV= Insurance County Championship as Nottinghamshire prepare for their first home game of the season against Glamorgan.
The seam bowler is part of a 13-man squad named for the fixture (14-17 Apr, 11am), with the hosts seeking to add to the 23 points secured in the opening round at Hove.
James Pattinson and Dane Paterson are added to the squad whilst Luke Fletcher will continue to rest the hamstring injury that prevented him from bowling in the second innings at Sussex.
“The style of cricket that is played at Trent Bridge might be different to that played elsewhere this year; we'll play our own brand of cricket and hope that other sides find it hard to win here,” Hutton said.
“Because it is our ground, we want our visitors to arrive and be on the back foot. We talk a lot about playing on our terms, and that starts with this match against Glamorgan.
“It was a positive start and a big statement to win at Sussex, but whilst people may expect us to do well this year, we still have to deliver on the pitch.”
Hutton claimed three second-innings scalps as the Green and Golds triumphed in a ten-wicket win in Hove, with the opener bowling 36 overs across the match.
The 29-year-old believes the physical toll is part of the winning process, and the squad are better for persisting through a challenging first day, when Sussex amassed 375 first innings runs.
“I came through that game well, and my body is in a good place. Importantly, we got the victory, and we’ll take sore bodies in exchange for a win any day,” he said.
“Of course, we would rather be on the front foot and dominate every game but it is nice to show that bit of character and fight. We executed what we set out to do in the end, which is brilliant.
“It is a sign of the strength in depth in this squad that everyone had the reserves and the mental fortitude to call on. We put a young side under pressure and came good.”
Glamorgan present a slightly different challenge from the youthful outfit fielded by Sussex in the opening round.
Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, the world's number one ranked Test batter, is in the visiting squad on his third stint with the Welsh side.
Having dismissed Glamorgan’s Usman Khawaja in 2018, however, Hutton trusts his ability to dismiss another Ashes winner, while insisting that the focus remains on his own side.
“We have our meetings and we get our information from Kunny Manek [Analyst] about certain players and how to go about dismissing them,” the right-armer said.
“We know Labuschagne is a big wicket, but we focus on ourselves. It doesn’t matter who is batting, we are at Trent Bridge and we do things our way.
“We trust that everything we have done through the winter will pay off in terms of getting over the line, and hopefully we can get off to a winning start at home.”
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