Peter Moores credited a tenacious performance from his side in the field as Nottinghamshire were denied by Derbyshire on the final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship encounter at Derby.
After making 618/8d in their first innings, the visitors spent in excess of 200 overs in the field as Derbyshire were forced to follow on, only to fall six wickets short of victory on a rain-affected day four.
But the Head Coach was impressed with the attitude and endeavour shown by his charges.
“That was a tough shift in this game, after we declared halfway through the second day and then fielded ever since,” he said.
“We worked hard right up to the end, but (Luis) Reece and (Harry) Came’s partnership on day three was key. We were bowling well, but they managed to keep us out – and if we’d got a couple of wickets that night, it would have put Derbyshire under a lot of pressure today.
“The energy within a team is something you can feel – it’s not just about working hard, it’s about enjoying the work.
“We’ve got some good characters in our team who provide that energy, so at no point did it feel like anyone was going through the motions.
“I would think Derbyshire know they’ve been in a good scrap during this match, so to me that says it was a good game of cricket.”
The fixture was shaped by a record-breaking 400-run partnership between Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed on the first two days of the contest, as Duckett hit a double-ton and Hameed recorded a new career-best.
It was a stand which will live long in Moores’ memory.
“The quality of their shotmaking, and the speed at which they scored their runs, made it really stand out as a partnership," said Moores.
“They’re both so easy on the eye with the bat, and I thought the way they handled the conditions as a duo was outstanding.
“Ben’s passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season now, and consistency has been the thing for him this season.
“He played for the England Lions and did well, and I’m sure there will be a lot of people watching how his career is developing.
“Players often get exposed to playing for England quite early, then they learn lessons and they come back as better players.
“Ben’s one of those cricketers who knows how his game works now, and plays in a more mature fashion, and you hope selectors take a look at those kinds of players.”
Notts have preserved a healthy advantage in Division Two ahead of their return to Trent Bridge next week, and the Head Coach has a clear mission in mind for the remainder of the red-ball season.
“We know what our goal is – it’s to win the division,” he said.
“We’ve dominated most games, and then we had to hold on a bit at Glamorgan next week.
“It’s left us in a good place in the league, so the next game against Sussex will be a big one.”
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