Outlaws Blast Assessment

 

The talent is there, so can Notts Outlaws make the mental leap?

Tom Blow - The Cricketer

Coach: Peter Moore

Captain: Dan Christian

Last season: Semi-finals

Fixtures: August 27 - Yorkshire (a, 6.35pm); August 29 - Durham (a, 2pm); August 31 - Yorkshire (h, 2pm); September 2 - Lancashire (a, TBC); September 4 - Leicestershire (h, 6pm); September 11 - Lancashire (h, 6pm); September 13 - Derbsyhire (h, 2pm); September 17 - Derbyshire (h, 6pm); September 20 - Durham (h, 1pm)

How did they do last year?

Very well, but they should have done better. Notts finished second in the North Group with six wins, a tally which was restricted by the weather as four matches were washed out. They went on to hammer Middlesex by 10 wickets in the quarter-final and should have reached the final.

Needing just 11 off the final 12 balls with eight wickets in hand against Worcestershire in the semi-final, they somehow collapsed to lose by one run.

It was an ending which summed up their dismal season across all formats.

Who are their key players?

Look no further than Alex Hales. The exiled England batsman enjoyed an excellent Blast last year, hitting 418 runs at a strike rate of 140.26. He has plenty of experience to offer, having played in a T20 World Cup final, and is a regular in franchise cricket. He will also be keen to make an impression this summer if he is to regain his England place.

Notts will be praying Dan Christian can play for the club this summer. The Australian is due to captain the side, but with Covid-19 causing all kinds of travel problems, there is no guarantee he will come.

And it is hard to forget about Harry Gurney, perhaps the best bowler in the Blast. Gurney picked up 22 wickets in last year’s tournament, a tally only bettered by Derbyshire’s Ravi Rampaul. It is astonishing that he has not played for England since 2014.

What are their biggest strengths?

If you do not get quick wickets against Notts, they will punish you. Hales can take the match away from any opponent during the powerplay and their other batsmen are not bad either. Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett are two of England’s brightest talents and will be keen to break into the national team.

Notts are also incredibly consistent in the group stage. They have progressed four years in-a-row and, remarkably, have only failed to get out of their group once in the last decade.   

Where might they have a weakness?

Notts are susceptible to a meltdown, as they showed in last year’s semi-final.

This fragility is something they need to eliminate if they are to go on and win the Blast, and all eyes will be on experienced pros such as Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel and Chris Nash to get them through these sticky periods.

For all their consistency, they have only won the Blast once. That must be a concern.

Chances of reaching Finals Day?

Notts should reach the last four. The question is whether they can go on and win the tournament.

They have all the talent and experience required to do so – now all they need is the right attitude.

Strongest XI: Alex Hales, Chris Nash, Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke, Dan Christian, Tom Moores, Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Matt Carter, Luke Fletcher, Harry Gurney.