Marcus Stoinis credited the Peter Moores’ local knowledge with helping Trent Rockets to victory in their home opener against Northern Superchargers.
Stoinis took two wickets in two balls as the Rockets restricted Superchargers 124/9 from their 100 balls, before securing victory with five wickets and four deliveries to spare.
Nottinghamshire’s Head Coach Moores is part of Andy Flower’s coaching team for the tournament, and provides insight which the Australia all-rounder feels is invaluable.
“Mooresy is a brilliant coach,” he said.
“I’m tight with him from his time with Melbourne Stars, but this is his home.
“Speaking to him before the game about what he thinks about the wicket, what style of play does well here, where the scoring areas are.
“He’s seen it all, so it’s nice having him around.”
Tom Banton and Rehan Ahmed led the way in a topsy-turvy second innings, with Imad Wasim and Adil Rashid halting the hosts’ momentum with five wickets and a miserly economy rate.
But Stoinis reserved particular praise for the way the top order marshalled the chase.
“It looked tough out there, but the boys did well,” he said.
“The openers did a good job; Tommy Banton got us off to a belting start which is what you need in a chase like that, and the spin looked tough to face.
“Everyone wants to strike at 200, but those were some important innings today.”
Akeal Hosein took the honours as Meerkat Match Hero, with two wickets in the space of three balls giving the hosts the perfect first-innings platform.
“He’s a class act, he’s a world-class spinner,” said Stoinis.
“It’s so handy having someone like him with the new ball that can take wickets.
“He does it so consistently in nearly every game he plays.
“I’ve played with him a few times and he’s done the exact same thing then, so I’m not surprised but I’m very happy for him.
“In these sorts of competitions you need to get off to a good start, and that’s what we’ve done – and it’s great to do it in front of a pretty packed ground.”
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Trent Rockets return to Trent Bridge on three further occasions this summer, with a handful of seats remaining for their next clash against Southern Brave.