Peter Moores admitted Notts’ chase of 55 runs from 23 balls was always going to be tough, as the Outlaws suffered a DLS-affected defeat at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Having reached 50/0 after 10.1 overs, the Outlaws were set a target of 105 from 14 after the rain finally relented, with Jack Haynes and Lyndon James sent in to commence the final part of the run-chase.

“It was tough for the lads who we retired out [Freddie McCann and Ben Slater] – especially Freddie on debut,” said Moores.

“The two lads had played really well to get us pretty much to where we needed to be; we wanted to be 50 or 60 after 10 overs, with a view to being able to go harder after that.

“Then we came out with 14.5 an over needed, so it was always going to be tough, especially with the two new balls that were still swinging a bit.

“We made the call to go with the lads who’d played the most T20 cricket, thinking Leicester would go with death bowling from ball one. And credit to Scirv (Tom Scriven), who got a bit of swing and shape on it.

“We probably needed that last over that Tom Moores had against Ben Mike to come a little earlier to put some pressure on.

“But it’s a situation where you make your call and take your chances.”

Notts had originally been set 370 to win, after Foxes skipper Lewis Hill had made 81, Sol Budinger 75 and India international Ajinkya Rahane 71.

“The chase was big because we didn’t bowl as well as we wanted to if I’m honest,” said Moores.

“Luke Fletcher was the pick for us, he bowled beautifully, and we held on pretty well towards the end until those last three overs.

“Credit to the three lads on debut – Freddie played nicely up front, Farhan [Ahmed] came in and showed what he’s about, and Rob Lord showed the sort of talent he’s got – he’s got good pace.

“They had a lot of overs to bowl at good players – the likes of the two overseas Leicestershire had [with Peter Handscomb making 29 from 21].

“Lewis Hill played nicely too, and once they got off to a good start they were always going to put us under pressure.”

At the start of play, Ahmed was presented with a cap by Luke Fletcher, with Brett Hutton doing the honours for Lord, and Ben Slater for McCann.

And Moores knows his senior players have a vital role to play in the coming weeks.

“Most teams are as good as your senior players, they lead by example,” he said.

“Luke and Ben put in good shifts with the bat and ball. They’re good senior pros – they’re hurting a bit because we got beat, but the games come thick and fast, so we’ll be ready to go again by Friday.

“We’ve had good crowds at Welbeck, so it’s nice to have two games there, where we know the ground pretty well. It’s a chance to get stuck in, get out of the blocks and get a couple of wins.”

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