With the 2014 season over, county cricketers are in the middle of a well-earned rest before returning to begin their winter preparations in November. 

For explosive opening batsman Michael Lumb, however, the timescales are much shorter, and he is already beginning to make preparations for another winter in Australia, where he will compete in the Big Bash League with the Sydney Sixers. 

“I’ll be travelling at the beginning of December, so my programme of preparation starts now,” he said.

“I’ll be working in the gym and starting to hit a few balls again in the next few weeks then I’ll be focused on a winter in Sydney.

“This will be my fourth year with the Sixers, they’re like a second family to me. I’m looking forward to getting back in touch with all of them and working for a good campaign in the Big Bash. 

“We got close to a trophy last year and we have a strong squad. If we play the same brand of cricket as we have in the last couple of years and get to the finals.

Nottinghamshire enjoyed another rollercoaster season which saw them top the LV= County Championship and reach the knockout stages in both the NatWest T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup. However, a loss of form toward the end of the season left them without a trophy. 

“Considering we were in all three competitions it was a disappointing end, but that’s cricket,” said Lumb.

“We have to dust ourselves off, learn from it and come back stronger next season.

“It’s not all doom and gloom, we were challenging in three formats at one stage and it’s a shame, but there are some good cricketers here and we know what we need to do next summer.

“The roll we got on in championship, including the win at Liverpool was excellent we played a lot of good cricket and showed good fighting spirit when chasing games if we needed to.”

Nottinghamshire’s season ended on a high point, with the emergence of opening batsman Jake Libby and seamer Luke Wood making their debuts for the county after graduating from the Academy. Libby in particular made a statement on debut, registering a century in his first senior innings for Nottinghamshire.

“What a start that was,” said Lumb.

“He’s someone who will work on his game through the winter and come back really strong. He’s a really exciting talent, as is Luke Wood, who made his debut against Sussex too.

“I like to watch younger players and help where I can. I won’t interfere too much but I’ll always be there to help if I’m needed. I’m a senior player here now and will be offering advice

“I haven’t seen a lot of Will Gidman, and we saw Greg Smith at his best against us for Leicestershire this summer. They’ll add some valuable strength and depth and I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to starting at a brilliant club.”

 

Nottinghamshire members can enjoy action across all three competitions, as well as a number of benefits including early access to Trent Bridge's 2015 international matches.

With prices among the lowest in county cricket, don't hesitate and join our club now.