Who are the key players? How did they do last year? Where are they strong? Where might they be weak? Key questions answered ahead of the new T20 Blast campaign
Coach: Peter Moores
Captain: Steven Mullaney
Last season: Winners
How did they do last year?
Ben Duckett’s fresh-air shot to Wayne Parnell off the last ball of the 2019 Blast semi-final had seen him crouch over his bat in despair as Notts threw away victory. Thirteen months on, Duckett played the guiding hand to ensure a less stressful victory over Surrey in the 2020 final, though he admitted finding the lack of noise at the denouement a little jarring.
A second title in four years confirmed Notts as probably the strongest Blast operation around, though not all were convinced they had bought into the spirit of a hastily-arranged season which had seen so many young players cut loose.
“It’s an imported side, I have to say,” said Mike Atherton on Sky Sports before their semi-final against Lancashire. “For a big club, they are very poor at producing their own players.”
Notts were the oldest of the teams among the 18 counties, proving the verity that experience counts in T20. And, in a season where a majority of counties did without an official overseas player, Notts had two of them.
Both Imad Wasim and Dan Christian were masterly at taking the pace off in dewy conditions. Christian was considered so crucial to the Outlaws operation that he undertook multiple spells of quarantine from and back to Australia to fulfil his sixth T20 campaign at Trent Bridge. He repaid Notts with assured captaincy, pinpoint accuracy and four hammer-blow sixes in a row off Liam Livingstone in the semi; so it is a major blow that his country have come calling.
Even if Notts had been docked five penalty runs for repeated bad language, as umpire Martin Saggers threatened to levy, they probably would have got home against Lancashire.
Jake Ball was rarely less than superb at the death, shouldering more of a burden after injury sidelined the left-arm T20 specialist Harry Gurney.
But it was pure luck that got them through the quarter-final against their impecunious neighbours Leicestershire. Notts placed their faith in a lengthy tail which often had Samit Patel at No.8, trusting that if batsmen kept hitting out someone else would come in and finish off.
But it would have backfired had Arron Lilley and Dieter Klein not let the ball through their legs to concede two late boundaries. Long barriers have gone out of fashion on billiard tables but on a dewy and bobbly October night at Trent Bridge it would have done the job for Leicestershire. It was a tie, but the regulations deemed that Powerplay scores and not a Super Over, was the tie-breaker.
Who are their key players?
Notts, as probably the strongest T20 outfit around, are blessed with an abundance of big-game players and expect them to take turns in coming to the fore. But it’s hard to look beyond that imposing top-order: Alex Hales (No.27 in the men's T20 Player Index), Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke.
Clarke looks perhaps the most exciting uncapped batter in the country and can keep wicket in Tom Moores’ absence.
Ben Duckett's fortunes made a turn for the better in 2020
What are their biggest strengths?
Despite a global pandemic, no fewer than eight of Notts 2020 squad were involved in white-ball overseas competitions last year (some of a better standard than others, it has to be said).
Having a collection of ambitious young batsmen – a bit of a double-edged sword in red-ball cricket until now – is less of an issue in T20, where expressing yourself without inhibition is what it’s all about.
And they have an excellent pace-off-the-ball option in Steven Mullaney, too. Notts have such a big squad that Peter Trego, Samit Patel and Matt Carter have been sat out of the Championship so far – will they be fresh or short of a gallop? More than anything, Notts have a winning habit in T20.
Where might they have a weakness?
Notts will be eager to bring Ball back from a back injury in time, especially with Gurney now retired. There are some potential gaps in the seam department which Zak Chappell and Lyndon James will fancy snapping up; at Trent Bridge it is no easy task defending the tapered short boundary to the Hound Road Stand.
But Notts may not enjoy all of the competitive advantages they did in 2020 when their financial heft meant they were able to fly Christian and Imad around the world through several quarantines, at a time when some counties couldn’t access any overseas players at all.
Their biggest threat could well be disciplinary, though – all Notts players will be minding their language on the field after a series of infringements led to the issue of suspended sanctions by the ECB Discipline Commission. Further lapses and the team could be facing points penalties. In such an intense competition as the Blast, the chances are that would prove costly.
What are their chances of reaching Finals Day?
If they can mind their language, as good as any.
Possible XI: Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke, Tom Moores, Samit Patel, Peter Trego, Steven Mullaney, Zak Chappell, Matt Carter, Jake Ball, Dane Paterson
Fixtures: June 9 – Worcestershire (a); June 11 – Birmingham Bears (h); June 13 – Northamptonshire (a); June 15 – Durham (a); June 18 – Derbyshire (h); June 20 – Lancashire (a); June 22 – Worcestershire (h); June 25 – Derbyshire (a); June 26 – Lancashire (h); July 1 – Leicestershire (h); July 2 – Birmingham Bears (a); July 9 – Yorkshire (h); July 16 – Leicestershire (a); July 18 – Durham (h)
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