Fresh off the back of winning a last-ball epic over local rivals the Derbyshire Falcons on Friday, Sam Wood is eyeing Lancashire Lightning as the first of three must-win ‘finals’ to reach the knockout stages.
An exhibition in pinpoint death bowling under pressure from Harry Gurney and Jake Ball ensured that the Outlaws emerged victorious defending 172-6 in-front of a record-breaking T20 crowd at Trent Bridge.
Wood described the atmosphere of the occasion as the ‘best he has ever played in’ and the 22-year-old hopes the feel-good factor from a dramatic win is a timely boost ahead of three more crucial fixtures.
“It was great to be part of that fantastic atmosphere against Derbyshire on Friday and you could feel the intensity with the number of people in the ground,” Wood said.
“I think that Samit and Mull bowled really well to keep it tight in the middle and they set it up beautifully for Harry and Bally to finish it off.
“The way Harry and Jake came back at the end was outstanding and I was absolutely buzzing being on the field.
“It was great to be part of a game like that. Now it is all about taking that momentum from the victory on our travels.”
Sat sixth in the group with three games remaining, the Outlaws are just two points off the fourth quarter-final qualification position, a spot currently occupied by Lancashire.
With trips to Durham and Leicestershire to follow, Wood admits the Outlaws have no margin for error if they are to emerge from the group stages.
“These final games are like finals for us, we can’t afford to lose but we just have to play our best cricket and win the crucial games away from home,” he said.
“It is important to stick together as a team, like we have done throughout the tournament, and I don’t think it will matter where we are playing, we will be confident of picking up the result.
“Lancashire are a team full of good players. There is not one person I would single out as one we could target.
“We just need to go out and play our way, execute our skills and we should come away with the victory.”
Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell has added Will Gidman and Brett Hutton to the eleven that beat Derbyshire by two runs on Friday, and could name an unchanged team. Fast bowlers Luke Fletcher and Andrew Carter remain on the sidelines through injury.
Notts Outlaws squad to face Lancashire Lightning (from): Jake Ball, Dan Christian, Will Gidman, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Brett Hutton, Michael Lumb, Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Chris Read, James Taylor, Riki Wessels and Sam Wood.
Notts Outlaws will next be in home action with the return of 50-over cricket for the Royal London One Day competition throughout July and August starting with a weekend at Welbeck Cricket Club. Don't miss out on the next step of our summer of cricket and secure your seats now.