Nottinghamshire captain Steven Mullaney pulled no punches after his side’s heavy defeat to Kent at Tunbridge Wells.
Notts were bowled out for 120 on the final day of their latest Specsavers County Championship match, leaving Kent with the victory by 285 runs.
Mullaney said it felt like a pivotal day in the season.
“I don’t think there’s any arguing with that,” he said. “With them getting 21 points and us missing out on the 5 draw points.”
The Notts captain also commented that there were several decisive moments that contributed to the loss.
“They were 120-6 in their first innings, so to let them get over 300 was disappointing.
“Then, I thought we fought really well on day two, Samit (Patel) and Nashy (Chris Nash) did really well in bowler-friendly conditions and that was important because it could have been really embarrassing if we’d been bowled out on that day.
“And today, I think it is embarrassing and we’re getting to a point, where, we are a good team on paper but we’ve got to find something now for the seven games that are left.
“The odds are against us but we have to try and do something because we need to win a few games. The table doesn’t lie, we’re at the bottom and – 100 per cent – we deserve to be. We’ve been the worst team by a long stretch.
“The batting’s not a car-crash by any means. Two games ago Ben Duckett got 140, Nashy is averaging 38 and I got a hundred recently but there’s some poor decision-making in the middle.
“We were 30 for none today and then Ben (Duckett) plays a poor shot and he knows it. One poor shot – then a good ball – and you’re suddenly two down. Then Joe (Clarke) got a 50/50 decision and if you’re at the top of the league those decisions go for you, if you’re at the bottom the half-decisions go against you.
“It’s not an excuse, that’s the way cricket goes. There’s only 15 or 16 guys that can turn it round and we’ve got to start doing it when Essex come to Trent Bridge in 10 days time.”
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