It’s a sign of Tom Moores’ excellent progress and maturity as a wicket-keeper batsman that he’s no longer referred to as ‘Chris Read’s successor’. And he remains absolutely determined to be his own man too.

When the evergreen Read, who is retiring at the end of the 2017 season, announced before the start of Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast campaign in July that he was stepping aside to give a younger player a chance, it was a move that undoubtedly raised one or two eyebrows.

But the way that Moores has quickly become an integral cog in the Outlaws side heading to Edgbaston for Finals Day on Saturday means that he’s not taken long to establish himself as a talented performer in his own right.

“I admire Ready, but I want to be Tom Moores, not Chris Read.”

Still young – he turns 21 on Monday – the Brighton-born player stands joint second in terms of wicket-keeping dismissals in this year’s Blast with 12 behind only Ben Brown of Sussex who has 13 ahead of the weekend, where the Outlaws face Hampshire in the second semi-final (2.30pm).

And the son of Notts head coach, Peter, has also contributed a more-than-useful 191 runs at a strike rate of more than 152, including an important knock of 57 in the win at Derbyshire Falcons – his first T20 half-century.

“I admire Ready, but I want to be Tom Moores, not Chris Read,” he insists. “Once I got to know all the lads I felt settled and knew I could just go and play my own way.

“Ready is a legend of the game and I’m chuffed to bits that he’s beaten the all-time record for dismissals for a keeper, but I am just trying to be my own player.

“I’ve been very lucky to have him around and be able to tap into that, especially for my keeping, which has done me the world of good.

“The role I am playing now (with the bat) is probably slightly different to what Ready played with him coming in a bit lower down the order nearer the end of innings and me going in higher up.

“But that’s something I’ve been used to doing growing up – keeping and then going straight in at the top of the order – so it feels no different apart from the occasion is that little bit bigger and there’s a few more people there!”

“I feel like my game is improving all the time.”

Moores, who has already outlined his ambitions to take over the gloves in 50-over and First-Class cricket next season once Read hangs up his gloves, has been pleased with his development this summer.

He has played in 14 matches in domestic cricket’s shortest format after suffering a toe injury that sidelined him earlier in the season.

Moores says: “I think I have improved a heck of a lot as a player with playing in front of the crowds I have and the players I have played with.

“I feel like my game is improving all the time and I’m happy with the way I’m progressing. For me personally I’m not a big stats person, even though we are in a stats business in cricket and you have to have good stats behind you.

“But I don’t look at them online or anything like that – I try to stay in the here and now, even if I am pleased with some achievements.

“If I can put a performance in to help us win a game then I consider that to be the most important thing.”

Notts travel down to Birmingham having already played at Edgbaston in this year’s group stages where they lost from the final ball of the match after Luke Fletcher had been struck on the head by a stroke from Sam Hain.

“Finals day is just about enjoying the day, putting good performances together and trying to be match-winners.”

Moores – who cracked an unbeaten 107 for Attenborough against Notts Academy in the Nottinghamshire Premier League on Saturday – believes having already played there this season will help the Outlaws have a measure of the conditions.

He said: “The lads know the ground pretty well and some of the lads have played at Edgbaston quite a few times.

“We will go there, assess the pitch, conditions and the boundary sizes, but we won’t get too caught up in that. Finals day is just about enjoying the day, putting good performances together and trying to be match-winners. If we do that, then I don’t think we will be too far off.

“As a younger player, to play in a Finals Day is a great experience, so I can’t wait.”

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To follow Notts Outlaws’ progress on finals day follow them on Twitter, Instagram and go to www.trentbridge.co.uk/live