Bowling allrounder Calvin Harrison says Notts Outlaws must capitalise on key moments as his side look for their first Vitality Blast victory of 2024 when on the road in Worcester.
The Outlaws take on Worcestershire Rapids in the sixth match of their North Group campaign, starting at 5.30pm on Friday 14 June.
Hoping to turn a corner with a vital result at New Road in a back-to-back fixture weekend, Notts name 15 players in the squad to face the Rapids, with no changes since the last outing against Lancashire Lightning.
Highlighting the brutality which comes with the short format, Harrison is keen for his side to tip crucial moments in their favour to catalyse a run of good form, with the Outlaws left rueing missed opportunities to assert dominance in their games so far.
“It’s disappointing when it’s happening consecutively, but you have to stay confident and positive in the way you play the game,” he said.
“There have been moments during a lot of those games where things could have gone our way and we’d have a few wins under our belts but, having said that, we know that we’ve sometimes not been playing the best cricket we can.
“We’ve been in some pretty strong positions which we could have capitalised on, but we’ve just not taken them. We work hard in training and we know how we want to attack the game, but we want to be winning those little moments to get us over the line in those close games.
“Whether you’re a batter or death bowler or whatever, we need to nail our roles in practice and repeat it under pressure,” he continued.
“We’ve been under pressure in plenty of moments so far, it’s about turning those moments into our favour.”
A silver lining in the defeat to Lightning last time out was all-rounder Liam Patterson-White’s T20 debut, with the Academy graduate making an unbeaten 44 and taking a wicket with just his second ball.
“It was a boost for everyone to see him do so well,” Harrison said.
“To kick off the back of our batting innings with a bit of momentum really helped us reach a more defendable total, it was nice to watch and was definitely a boost to our spirits.”
As part of a T20 side boasting a number of newcomers this season, and under new leadership too, Harrison has enjoyed learning even more about his evolving role in the white-ball game.
“It’s been interesting. I’ve had some decent spells and others which I’ve taken a lot of learnings from; I felt like this is the most I’ve bowled to left-handers and to some short sides,” he said.
"There have been some circumstances where I’ve needed to bowl more defensively, which is something I’ve not done so much before and has been really good for my development.
“We don’t see it as a rebuilding phase, though,” he added, “I suppose under the surface we’ve got guys who are still getting to know new roles - Monty’s bowling more in the powerplay now, for example - but it’s not something we actively think about as we’re a strong enough unit to win games of cricket and there’s no reason why we can’t get on a winning streak if we turn a corner.”
Regardless of form, it can be all too easy to be encumbered with the unrelenting intensity of the Blast calendar, meaning any chance to replenish the mind and body is a welcome one for players.
Harrison spoke of how important bonding time has been for the squad.
“We’ve had some time together off the field and had a barbecue together the other night, which has been great because we need to stay fresh," he said.
“Whilst we’re certainly taking the learnings, outside of training it’s important to sometimes step away from the cricket where we can in order to keep the mind fresh, come back in a positive mindset and go into the next game feeling refreshed.
“The mood in the dressing room is still really good, and that’s the basis for swinging things around in our favour - there’s no reason why we can’t because we’ve got the players to do it.”
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