Lyndon James talked up the importance of players putting themselves in genuine match situations in pre-season following Nottinghamshire’s friendly against Leicestershire.
“These games are massive, to be honest,” said the all-rounder. “There’s nothing quite like being out in the middle playing a proper game against proper opposition.
“You can do all the winter training you want, but actually putting it into practice on grass against another county, it’s so important.”
James made 51 in the Green and Gold second innings, and bowled 16 overs across the duration of the game, which allowed both sides three full days of valuable preparation.
The 26-year-old spoke of the individual balance between bat and ball he has to strike as an all-rounder, but reflected on that situation positively.
“I enjoy it! It always makes things interesting, focusing on different things, but it’s nice to get overs under my belt, and spend time in the middle at the same time.
“It was nice to get a few runs, too. I felt a bit rusty over the last few innings, so it was nice to spend that time getting ready and feeling as good as I have in a while.
“We tried a few different bits with the ball as well, having worked hard with Shiney [Kevin Shine] over the winter, and hopefully I’ll be able to have an impact this season.”
James also noted his role in the wider attack, with the friendly seeing both Conor McKerr and Josh Tongue make their first senior run-outs for Notts in England.
“It’s really exciting, to be honest. We have a lot of options now, a lot of height, pace, bounce, so it’s an exciting attack to be a part of.
“We should be able to put teams under pressure this year, and hopefully take wickets quickly to put teams on the back foot.”