COVERED WINTER 2020

COVERED 20 TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK “There are times when I genuinely believe it and nobody else does and times when I might say something to rev the boys up. Either way, once you believe in yourself, others will look to you in pressure situations. “The game could be gone, but if you get that bit closer to a result, the team will be mentally stronger next time. “I’ve always looked at Alastair Cook as an example of a player with freak mental strength.Whenever things went off around him, he stuck to what he was good at and always had a plan. “That clarity is why he had such success as aTest player and got to the point where he wanted to focus on red-ball cricket to extend his time at the top.” At the same fork in the road, Samit is taking the opposite turn. Having served as Nottinghamshire’s man for all occasions since 2002, next season, unofficially at least, is likely to see him hang up his whites. “AS I PLAYED MORE AND WON MORE, I DEVELOPED A BELIEF THAT I COULD WIN GAMES FROM INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT POSITIONS... ONCE YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, OTHERS WILL LOOK TO YOU IN PRESSURE SITUATIONS.” Samit Patel