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21 JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR ALL THE LATEST: TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK/MAILINGLIST SAMIT PATEL “I’ve had the same chat with Mick Newell, Peter Moores and Steven Mullaney – my intention is to call it a day in red-ball cricket and that’s reflected in the contract I’ve signed,” he said. “But if there are injuries and I’m needed, I’ll answer the call.There’ll be no official announcement that I’m retiring from red-ball cricket, but my aim is to go around the world playing as much with the white ball as I can.” Like Sir Alastair, Samit is on a longevity mission. He believes he can command a Notts Outlaws place until he’s 40 (he turns 36 in November) and is seeking gigs in the Big Bash, Pakistan Super League and any other global franchise setup willing to offer a chip and a chair. He reels off a list of top-tier players as shining examples of those that have achieved success having proved their fundamental skills across all formats before tuning their focus on one. Chris Gayle and AB deVilliers. James Anderson and Stuart Broad. “All of the players at the very top have proven themselves inTest cricket and the best players will generally be the best players in any format,” he said. “At some point they will have to make a choice about what they want to focus on, but red-ball cricket prepares you for that choice and those players will be successful whatever decision they make.” Paul Franks has shared a dressing room with Samit for longer than anyone in his own transition from teammate to coach. Like Samit, he largely bypassed second eleven cricket to establish himself in the Trent Bridge dressing room without the need for a long learning curve, and recalls innumerable eyewitness accounts of feats of a match-winning calibre. “Samit has built layers of confidence and he’s always desperate to show everybody around him how good he is,” said Franks. “Even when he’s had patches of bad form, you know he’s going to call on something within himself to get back in the game. “IF THERE ARE INJURIES AND I’M NEEDED, I’LL ANSWER THE CALL.” Samit Patel