COVERED SPRING 2021

9 JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR ALL THE LATEST: TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK/MAILINGLIST TOM MOORES “I FEEL LIKE I’VE KEPT TO OUR BOWLERS FOR LONG ENOUGH NOW TO KNOW THEIR MAIN WEAPONS, AND I CAN SENSE WHAT THEY’RE THINKING AND PLANNING BEFORE THEY DO IT.” Tom Moores without contributing, but also projecting what you see to the more senior players. “There’s a danger that, at first, you overthink things, and almost second- guess yourself.You might believe that a certain course of action is the right one, but to actually come out and say so when you’ve maybe never experienced it before is quite a brave move. “But as you gain experience, you have more certainty in your opinions, build that confidence in your beliefs and find it easier to communicate your views. “I feel like I’ve kept to our bowlers for long enough now to know their main weapons, and I can sense what they’re thinking and planning before they do it.” Cricketing telepathy, however, is only half the battle. You may understand what your bowler is thinking and be certain of the best course of action, but a misplaced word at the wrong time could bring that relationship to boiling point. With tens of thousands watching on from the stands, or hundreds of thousands locked in online, the pressure would be intense. “You learn pretty quickly that different bowlers work differently, and receive your views differently,” says Moores. “Take Matt Carter, for example. His best ball would get anybody in the world out, but he wouldn’t want to be spoken to a lot during an over. He likes to keep himself to himself and crack on. “As long as he knows we back him, and we show that encouragement, he’s happy. “Whereas with someone like a Steven Mullaney, he’ll want to hear your opinion. He might not necessarily take your advice, but he wants to know what you think so he can weigh it up and make a decision.” The process of building those rela- tionships began at that most storied of county cricket outgrounds, as Moores made his Notts debut againstYorkshire at Scarborough. It continued in earnest as he took the gloves for the 2017T20 Blast campaign in place of Chris Read. Starting any new role is tough, but if your predecessor is fawned across the country, if plans are afoot to commission a portrait in his honour, the stakes must be raised. Luckily for Moores, he found himself walking into a dressing room character- ised by its humility. “We’ve not got any primadonnas at the club – nobody thinks they’re above anybody else,” he says. “The thing that unites everyone is that we all want to work hard, use that experience we’ve gained over the years and get better every day. “For young players coming through, that means they can go up to the likes of Alex Hales to ask him about his batting and how he approaches different situations.