Having established himself in Nottinghamshire’s red ball line-up over the last two campaigns, Academy graduate Lyndon James is enjoying his well defined role in the side.
The middle-order batter and seamer admitted his usage as a strike bowler gives him clarity, and with Notts enjoying a successful run in Division Two of the LV= Insurance County Championship, his and the team’s confidence is sky high.
Notts have named a 13-man squad for a top-of-the-table clash against Middlesex, one sandwiched between Vitality Blast fixtures.
“You know when we are doing well, because I barely bowl!” James said, “Of course, I want to be bowling, but we are winning games, and that is the most important thing.
“I bowled a lot of overs in the first game, playing as more of a genuine third seamer, and I really enjoyed that.
“But I am under no illusions. We have got some brilliant bowlers, I know what is needed of me and I’ll do it to the best of my ability. I need to make things happen - run in hard if we haven’t got a wicket in a while and see if I can conjure something.
“I have still got some work to do on consistency and controlling the rate, following the lead the main seamers have taken, but I like the fact that I am the one Mull [Steven Mullaney] turns to.”
The switch to red-ball cricket follows five T20 games in eight days. It is a transition with which James is comfortable such is its regularity, and made easier by the belief carried forward by early-season form in the longer format.
A victory by an innings in the Green and Golds’ last outing against Leicestershire, despite conceding over 400 runs in the first innings, has given James even greater cause for optimism.
“We are at the top for a reason, we’ve played some really good red ball cricket,” James said. “It is just a case of switching skills and mindsets over.
“We’ve got a lot of momentum from the games we have won in the Championship. You look at the Leicestershire game, for us still to win in three days given the way we started is incredible. We’ll go back to what we’ve done well.
“We know as a batting group we have the ability to score 300+ most games, and as a bowling group we try and model ourselves on hunting as a pack and building pressure from both ends.
“In the first innings against Leicester we probably didn’t do that, but we were relentless once we found it in the second innings.”
The visit of Middlesex represents a clash between two sides separated by 10 points at the head of the table.
After rain scuppered Nottinghamshire’s charge for victory at Lord’s, James knows the fixture could go some way to deciding the eventual challengers for the title.
“I think we take a lot of confidence from the away game,” he admitted. “It was one that we dominated for the large part, then (Sam) Robson batted brilliantly before the rain.
“With the ball in the first innings, we put them under loads of pressure, and batting we put a big lead on.
“With us both at the top, if we can win we’ll have a decent lead going into the back end of the campaign.
"We’ve made no secret of the fact that our goal is to win the league, not just get promoted.
"Middlesex are our main rivals for that at the minute, and 20 points will help us massively.”
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Be More Outlaw: The 2022 Vitality Blast at Trent Bridge
Pin your green and gold colours to the mast by securing your seats for Notts Outlaws' final home game in the Vitality Blast group stage.
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