Notts Outlaws captain Dan Christian is backing his team-mates to thrive on the big-game atmosphere of T20 Blast Finals Day.
A Finals Day record, sell-out crowd of 24,426 will pack into Edgbaston tomorrow where the best four domestic T20 teams will battle it out to become national champions.
Glamorgan take on the Birmingham Bears in the first semi-final at 11am before the Outlaws face Hampshire in the second semi-final at 2.30pm.
Notts go into the tournament as the bookies favourites, but all-rounder Christian – who won this competition in 2010 when playing for Hampshire – is confident the team can cope with that tag, as well as the special occasion.
“With a side like ours on paper we’re always going to be somewhere near favourites and we’ve been playing really, really well so that’s probably why we’ve got it,” he said.
“Everyone’s keen for us to do well, from the Members at the Club to the fans, family, friends and us in the changing room as well. We expect to do well I think, because we know we’re a good team if we perform like we can.
“There’ll be a great crowd in, but we’re used to playing in front of great crowds at home, so that won’t be too foreign for us. It doesn’t really make it nervy for us as we’ve had big crowds for every game we’ve played and it’s been fantastic fun.
“At Trent Bridge, we’ve been getting over 10,000 for a number of our games, and they make a lot of noise there, which is great to play in front of. The big crowds don’t make it more nervous, just more exciting I think.”
As skipper Christian admits the thought of lifting the trophy into the Birmingham sky come tomorrow evening is a thrilling prospect.
But the 34-year-old knows that overcoming his old club – and then beating the winners of the opening semi-final if the Outlaws progress – is going to be no easy task.
He added: “It would be a huge honour to win this as a captain. Winning with Hampshire was a fantastic day – to come up against them tomorrow should be good fun.
“They’re a fantastic team who have been really successful in the last few years of T20, so we’re going to have to be on our toes and play very well.”
Finals Day can be a test of stamina as well as ability given that the players have to stay focused for almost a whole day, with potentially two matches to contest.
With that in mind, Sydney-born Christian believes it is an advantage to be involved in the second of the two sem-finals.
“Adrenaline will get you through it is what I’ve found,” he said. “It is a long day, but we’re lucky to play the second game so we don’t have to be here all the time.
“We don’t have to be here for 9.30am, play the first game and then sit around during the second game, so if we can play well in that second game and drag some of that momentum into a final, then it could be a good day for us.”
Notts have encountered their fair share of trophy success during recent years, but a domestic T20 tournament success has always eluded them since its inception in 2003.
Christian says there is a combined determination in the Outlaws camp that they can break that particular duck this year.
He said: “It’s my third year here and we’ve got some unfinished business from last year. We played really well leading into that Finals Day last year and couldn’t quite get over the line against Northants.
“It would be nice to add this one to the cabinet. We won’t change our approach from how we have played all tournament - we’ll still go out and try to play positively with the bat.
“I don’t think the surface will be as good as what Trent Bridge is – obviously it’s an extraordinary ground that I think has been averaging 207 this year as a score.
“But we don’t have to change too much, and, being second game as well, we can get a bit on how the wicket is playing before we start.”
In addition to leading the side, Christian has contributed 308 runs and 10 wickets, helping Notts bring about a turnaround in fortunes after a difficult start.
Since losing their opening two matches, the Outlaws have lost only twice more en route to Finals Day, at home to Worcestershire Rapids and Leicestershire Foxes.
“Yorkshire outplayed us in the first game, that’s the way it goes sometimes. Blokes have a good day out and a few of their guys did,” he said.
“The second game we’ve sort of wiped from our memories with it being such a weird game with Luke Fletcher getting hit. We weren’t too worried about winning or losing it.
“But once we had the two weeks break we did, the competition really started for us after that and we’re just hoping we can now keep things going when it really matters.”
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