After the first block of cricket in Abu Dhabi, Calvin Harrison reflects on two days of white ball training and the Abu Dhabi Counties Super Cup in which Notts Outlaws finished runnners up.
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The chance to get into competitive action in Abu Dhabi is really valuable. It’s my first time on a tour with Notts having had the marquee at Lady Bay for the last couple of years, and there is a sense that the intensity in out preparation over the last month has gone up because we’ve got quite a short period of time out here, and we’ve wanted to hit the ground running.
Our practice games enabled us to do that; the chance to play competitive cricket, with results on the line, is really valuable as we head into the season. We have had to get in the right mindset and take the games seriously.
There were times when we did really well as individuals and a side, and it’s pleasing to see hard work paying off. Guys like Tom Moores, Sammy King, Dane Schadendorf and Toby Pettman produced good performances on different days and to have that so early on in the season is a real confidence builder for them.
It was frustrating to not have hit our straps more against the Bears in the final, but you’ve got to remember that was only the third game we’d played having had six months playing indoors. We can take the learnings, and put it down as one of those days where things didn’t quite click.
I have felt quite good with the ball, particularly in those first two games, which is reassuring having bowled a lot this winter.
Over the past few weeks, there has been a big focus on us winning ‘moments’ within games, and the fact that if we win each little battle, we will ultimately win more than we lose. That can be building pressure with each delivery, weathering a storm with the bat, or even something as simple as saving two with a bit of fielding.
All those small moments add up ensure that we will come out on the better side, and that’s something you can only really practice through games.
It’s why I love fielding so much - which isn’t always a popular opinion. I might get the ball ten times in a T20 game, but in my mind, that is ten opportunities to affect a game. It might be a catching chance, or saving runs, but every time the ball comes to me, there is a little battle to try and win.
Coming on tour is really valuable to get to know some of the new faces in the squad and bond with them in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily in the tent, too. It’s an exciting time that we’re going into with new captains in both formats.
We’ve got four new lads in the group in Dillon, Jack, Josh and Freddie, and the time we can spend with each other is only going to help that cohesion.
Dillon, Jack and Freddie all played well in the T20 tournament, too, which is a pretty effective way to grow that bond in the group. All four of them are really easy going and have moulded into the club really nicely, and performances on the field no doubt accelerate that feeling of belonging for them.