Ben Slater expressed belief in the Notts batting department after the Outlaws fell 33 runs short against Surrey in a rain affected Royal London Cup game at Guildford.
Slater, who averages a shade under 57 in List A cricket, scored a 48 ball 69, while another half-century from Joey Evison and rapid runs from Dane Schadendorf and Sol Budinger took the visitors close to the sizable DLS Method target of 300.
“We are obviously disappointed to lose, they scored maybe 20-30 too many, and that showed,” Slater said.
“It was a small ground and hard to defend with the ball, and we probably would have liked to restrict them to give ourselves a good chance of chasing it.
“But I think there was a belief we could chase that score with the way the ball ran away, it just had to beat the infield and the boundaries were small. It’s a sign of the strength in this team that we were confident of winning.”
Ryan Patel struck an impressive 131 from 70 deliveries, and Jamie Smith a 16-ball half-century, as Surrey racked up the runs in front of partisan support.
The opener commended the hitting display of the Southern outfit, who hit 23 sixes in their innings.
“You can’t take away from how they played and struck the ball,” he said.
“They hit it brilliantly. We know death bowling is hard and if you miss by an inch or two it can go for six. They are fantastic players with great ability to hit the ball cleanly.”
Slater praised the efforts of the Notts chase, though, including a cameo from Budinger, and a fledgling 80-run partnership from Schadendorf and Evison.
“Sol at the top got us off to a flyer and we were right up with the rate in the powerplay,” Slater said.
“I think we have seen what Sol is capable of in the Second XI, and this competition gives him the opportunity to show that at a good level. He has had a few good starts, and he will want to kick on.
“Dane and Joey showed what ability they have too. This campaign is a great opportunity for them to prove themselves and their efforts today were fantastic. They took the attack to Surrey and that was a pleasure to see.”
Slater concluded by reflecting on the environment provided at Woodbridge Road, where 3000 visitors watched a batting frenzy. Notts, meanwhile, head to Welbeck on Friday, with Somerset the opponents.
“It was a really good atmosphere today,” he said.
“When we played at Edgbaston, the atmosphere wasn't great. It was a big ground with not many in, which isn’t the fault of the county, that’s just the way it was.
“When you get to the outgrounds everyone is closer, it is a nice buzz and, obviously, moving onto Welbeck, we hope the supporters can create something similar."