2025 Nottinghamshire Preview - Your Predictions (?)

 

02/04

BBC Preview

BBC Predictions

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Previewed by Jon Culley - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Captain: Haseeb Hameed

Head Coach: Peter Moores

2024 finish: Eighth

2024 highest run-scorer: Haseeb Hameed (1,091)

2024 highest wicket-taker: Dillon Pennington (31)

Key winter moves: South African seamer Dane Paterson’s move to Middlesex after 180 wickets in four seasons at Trent Bridge came as a surprise, although international cricket may now limit his availability. Australia’s 24-year-old pacy all-rounder Fergus O’Neill (four matches in April) and Pakistan quick Mohammad Abbas (six rounds, in May and September) arrive as overseas bowlers. Conor McKerr from Surrey further boosts the seam stock. South African wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne can offer significant middle-order runs.

What we’re looking forward to seeing: Remember Josh Tongue? Some 20 months after his move from Worcestershire to Trent Bridge was announced, the 27-year-old pace bowler is at last ready to make his Nottinghamshire debut after a torrid time with injuries that has restricted him to just 12 first-class matches since June 2021. As a contracted England player, his workload will be controlled but at least three appearances in the first block of Rothesay County Championship fixtures is on the cards.

Player to watch: After he burst on the scene with 22 wickets in four matches at the end of last season, Nottinghamshire accept it will be hard to keep record-breaking 17-year-old off-spinner Farhan Ahmed out of their line-up irrespective of the need to manage his physical development. Even with talented leggie Calvin Harrison and quality left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White offering competition, Farhan is in pole position to be the side’s No 1 choice as specialist slow bowler.

Final thought: After looking more like relegation candidates than title prospects since returning to Division One two seasons ago, Nottinghamshire are sensibly not setting their ambitions higher than finishing in the top half of the table in 2025. Although they have a decent hand of bowlers, more is needed from the batters, particularly the middle order, and particularly in the first innings, where they have fallen notably short.

28/3

Next week it all kicks-off for real. So how will Notts fare in the views of you the Notts viewers?

1/ Who will score a thousand championship runs in 2025?

2/ Who will score an all formats thousand runs this season?

3/ Who will take fifty championship wickets?

4/ Who and with how many wickets, will be the Outlaws leading wicket taker in the Blast 2025?

5/ Will Notts Outlaws reach the Edgbaston Finals Day? If not where in the North Group will we end?

6/ Will Notts better mid-table in the Metro Bank Cup group, winning about as many games as they lose?

7/ Will Josh Tongue play more games for Notts in all formats in 2025 than either Ben Duckett or Olly Stone?

8/ Will Notts win some silverware this season?

Please leave your predictions for 1-8  in the comments section.

20/03

Zoom-in below and read the results from 2024. In 2025 Notts MUST DO BETTER! Optimism is actually high and there is a positive feel to our chances of being competitive. First innings runs will be the key, but also getting on to the field to play will be important with four rounds of Championship cricket in April, our busiest Championship month, ridiculously.

Notts will do better in the T20 Blast, as they can hardly do and be any worse than in 2024. There'll be more players looking to impress and bag H*ndred wildcard gigs too, as a poor 2024 has hit those looking to milk that cash cow, I could name names. Overseas recruitment has been solid and gives a good basis for the optimism.

Could this year see the resurgence of the Metro Bank Cup, for Notts' chances and for the maligned format? If ODIs are to continue to be played, attitudes within the ECB have to change. Just a reminder, ODIs are played worldwide in 108 countries whereas 100 ball cricket is played at 8 grounds within England and Wales only. Priorities!

2024 Results

Not a good year for Notts CCC, not a good year for Notts CCC supporters, but will anyone be held to account? No chance!

The future might be brighter, with the emergence of local boys Freddie McCann and Farhan Ahmed but with the Newell and Moores partnership still in place, that brightness remains dimmed a just little bit.

Thanks again to MAG for the results in the foreground as you admire perhaps one last look at the old pavilion in the background.

Thank you to MAG for his match reports, insights and statistic analyses through-out the 2024 season. Notable mention to JAG for his photos, insights and meticulous record keeping.

Nottsview is open to submissions from anyone: articles, essays, photographs, statistics, stories or memories etc etc POST THEM TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE HEADER.

As you can imagine it's not easy keeping the posts going through the quieter winter months but hopefully I'll continue to muddle through with bit of originality here and there along with a smile or two.

Thank-you for reading and if you've been with us for the past 14 years, you deserve a medal (that or sectioning).

Cheers

Admin Dave aka Harry Butler Daft on Facebook where you'll find 14+ years worth of Notts CCC match photographs