Chris Guest believes a continuation of The Blaze’s T20 approach will put them in a position to succeed in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. 

He has named a squad of 13 to take on South East Stars at Beckenham (Sunday 30 June, 10.30am, with 50-over cricket at the fore for four games before The Hundred begins. 

The Blaze are fresh from Charlotte Edwards Cup triumph, having seen off both Central Sparks and the Stars at Derby's County Ground on 20-over Finals Day. 

The way the East Midlands outfit played their shorter-format cricket can act as a blueprint for the longer game, Guest says. 

“If you look at our T20 cricket, we didn’t push the boat out to become a crash, bang, wallop side,” Guest said. 

“We actually got out-hit in terms of boundaries in our last few games, but we played our innings really cleverly, rotated the strike and picked up twos. We manipulated really well while still at seven/eight an over. 

“So we can look to approach this block like we did our T20s, but with twice as much time. That excites me - we can play with that mindset, get towards those scores of 280, and put teams under pressure with our bowling.”

The Blaze have currently won two of six games in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, but with a run of games ahead, the prospect of wins on the bounce offers the side cause for optimism. 

“We know that we are up against it, but equally we had some challenges at the start of the season," said Guest. 

“We definitely go into the next four games with confidence. Stars have beaten us a couple of times this season, and they will be a challenge, but we managed to get one over them in the final which bodes well.

“We have got momentum on our side at the minute and we want to talk that forward. Obviously looking at the table at the moment doesn’t make particularly pleasant reading, but having just won a cup, it gives you extra desire to be making it into finals again.”

With Stars, Southern Vipers, Western Storm and Northern Diamonds the opposition prior to the onset of The Hundred, Guest’s plan is to segment and focus on the games in the immediate future. 

“It is a cliche, but we need to take these next few weeks game by game,” he said. 

“We have historically been a better 50-over side than T20, and although the results have flipped in that respect, we know we have the ability to turn it around. 

“If we focus on one fixture at a time, and play at our best, we can beat anyone.”