Ahead of a derby showdown with promoted Leicestershire, all-rounder Lyndon James has reasserted his desire to be the matchwinner in any situation.

“I quite enjoy my role, because it means I can impact the game with both bat and ball,” said James. “I’m quite lucky in that respect, and I just try and enjoy it as much as I can.”

“Whenever I’m needed, I try and impact things with the ball, and when it’s my turn to try and get some runs, I aim to dig in and do well there.

“It’s just part of the job of being an all-rounder, but it comes from working hard in the nets, and aiming to play freely when I get out there.”

James is included in a squad of 14 for the trip to Uptonsteel Grace Road, where the two sides will lock horns in a Division One contest for the first time in 21 years.

Josh Tongue misses out for the clash as the ECB manage his workload ahead of England’s summer schedule, though Ben Duckett retains his place.

For James, the clash with Leicestershire is an ideal opportunity to continue the impetus built up from a stirring fightback against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge earlier this week.

“We got a positive result in the end against Warwickshire, and while we weren’t happy with how we played over the first two days, it was good to come away with a draw,” he said.

“To bat really well under some pressure over the last two days was really quite impressive, so I think we’ll be carrying that momentum forward.

“Something we’re really trying to focus on, whether it’s with bat or ball, is to start well, and that’s definitely something we did well last year.

We want to get a foothold in the game early on and go from there, and while that’s probably something we didn’t do so well against Warwickshire, we’ll be aiming to improve this week.”

The 27-year-old is also expecting a stern test from the promoted Foxes, and while he acknowledges the derby aspect, he believes there is more to the situation than just that.

“They’re obviously just down the road, so it will be a bit more of a rivalry, but to be honest, I think coming off the back of last season, we’re the team that everyone will want to beat.

“The way we’re looking at it is that we’ve probably got that target on our backs, so we know that Leicestershire are going to be right up for it.

“That said, though, so are we, so it will be a great game of cricket, and hopefully we can come out on the right side of it.”

While confident in his own ability, James believes Notts’ chances of doing just that are also bolstered by what he has seen from his teammates over the opening three games of the season.

“I think the fact that everyone has stuck their hand up at some point and scored some runs is a good sign for the batting group,” he explained.

“The bowlers have been bowling well too, especially in the first couple of games, so while we just haven’t quite put that full game together, hopefully we can do that this week.”

“I think that’s the responsibility of everyone. We’ve got a culture in the dressing room now where everyone works really hard in training to make sure their skills are sharp.

“We want to always be getting better as a group. That starts individually, and then it benefits the team massively when it comes to getting out there and playing games.”

Naturally, James is determined to focus on the team more than on any one individual, but he did reserve particular praise for Joe Clarke, now the leading run-scorer in Division One.

“He’s had an incredible career, and an incredible start to this season, but the exciting thing is that he’s probably got even more. He’s got some valuable runs for us at times,” said James.

“That’s what we’re really looking for from everyone in the group, to step up as much as they can, with the aim of putting us in a good place come the end of the summer.”