COVERED SPRING 2021

COVERED 24 TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK and won the white-ball double and I took no pleasure seeing Notts struggle in red-ball cricket after that,” he says. “You looked on from a distance and you knew that they were doing some things exceptionally well given that the white- ball form remained very consistent, but it wasn’t happening for them in the Championship. “This season’s format means that every county starts with a blank slate and has a chance to win the competition, and we have to get ourselves into play-off contention. “The changes suit us and there will be a snowball effect if we can make a strong start. “There’s an aura around Notts inT20 cricket and an expectation that we will win games. “That’s what we need to harness and our pre-season focus is very much on the championship.” It would take a brave bystander to predict who will be thrown the ball when competitive cricket resumes. Zak Chappell came to the fore last season with 15 BobWillisTrophy wickets, Peter Trego was the only quick to play all five matches, Jake Ball found his groove but tweaked his side while Luke Fletcher missed the campaign through injury. The clamour for shirts is wide open withTom Barber andToby Pettman also staking a claim and the possibility of overseas players joining the mix. “Someone needs to put their hand up and do what Simon Harmer does at Essex in leading an attack and putting 60 wickets on the board,” Hutton says. “We know how hard we’re training and the skill levels that we have in the squad so we have to count on our experience and get over the big hurdle by winning early.When we win one we can get on a roll and become genuine contenders. “You glance through the batting line-up and there’s a lot of international expe- rience and prolific county run-scorers. In a stat-driven game, we’re up there in terms of scores with the bat which puts pressure on the bowling group to find a way to take 20 wickets in a game. “I think back to watching Jake Ball take his hat-trick against Middlesex at Trent Bridge in 2016 and he was two gears above everybody else on the pitch. If he is in that sort of form then he can be a big player for us. “Luke Fletcher runs through brick walls for Notts and he still galvanises the dressing room and there are others that catch the eye too. “The single biggest target for me this year is to play a lot of games. “Beyond that, I’ve never had 50 red-ball wickets which is a bowler’s benchmark of a really good season. “That’s my goal and a lot of things have to be ticked off to get there, starting with getting your name on the sheet for the first match of the season.” “THERE’S AN AURA AROUND NOTTS IN T20 CRICKET AND AN EXPECTATION THAT WE WILL WIN GAMES. THAT’S WHAT WE NEED TO HARNESS AND OUR PRE-SEASON FOCUS IS VERY MUCH ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP.” Brett Hutton