Peter Moores believes Nottinghamshire’s squad will be stronger for their experiences during their first season back in the top tier of the County Championship, as Trent Bridge prepares to host its final fixture of the summer.
Moores has named a 13-man squad to face Middlesex (26 – 29 September, 10.30am starts).
Notts secured a second summer in Division One courtesy of the points accrued in a draw against Lancashire at Old Trafford – a feat which permitted the Head Coach a moment to reflect on the summer.
“It’s been a year where quite a lot of people have had good exposure to Division One cricket who hadn’t had it before,” he said.
“The likes of Matthew Montgomery and Calvin Harrison have played a lot more cricket in what is a tough league, and I think they – and we – will be stronger for it.
“They’ve had that chance to try and cement a place in the team, and that will make our squad feel deeper going into next year.
“Some of the senior lads have done really well too – Brett Hutton’s had a fantastic season, Dane Paterson’s carried on doing what he’s done before for us, and Joe Clarke has showed a real level of quality.
“In some places the team has changed a bit from the side that played in the Second Division, but it means that we’ll see a really competitive squad starting next season fighting to get into that team, with the other players we’ve signed and the players we’ll have coming back to fitness.”
Despite Nottinghamshire’s top-flight status being assured, Moores feels the incentive to perform will be high amongst those who take to the field.
“For some of these lads, if they don’t go away in the winter, they’ll only have four more days of competitive cricket before they start again next year, so they’ll want to finish strong,” he said.
“Certain lads are approaching milestones which are significant for them, so everyone will have something to play for individually, and collectively we’ve got a lot to play for – to try and climb the league table and remind ourselves what we can do when we play our best cricket.”
The visitors, meanwhile, head into the game with their top-flight survival still in the balance.
“The face that there’s still something on the game gives it a real focus – but more than anything we want to put on a good performance for our members and supporters,” said Moores.
“After a frustrating week at Old Trafford where we didn’t get to play much, there’s the excitement of playing and looking to finish strong on our own ground.”