Craig Cumming believes the “good memories” of previous games at Trent Bridge will help The Blaze in their bid to secure Vitality Blast Finals Day qualification.
Cumming’s side have experienced a tough run of form in recent matches, but remain inside the top four by two points with two matches to go.
In a final home outing of the competition, The Blaze face Somerset in a crucial clash in West Bridgford, with the fifth-placed West Country outfit being their nearest challengers for Finals Day.
“The key is just being able to stay free and play our natural style of cricket,” said Cumming. “It helps being here at Trent Bridge, because we know it and our natural games will come out.
“Players have got really good memories playing here, and you have to call upon that. We’re excited by this opportunity, and we’ve got some really good resilience within our squad.”
Cumming has named a squad of 14 for the clash with Somerset, as the one change from the group that travelled to Hampshire on Wednesday sees Lucy Higham return in place of Prisha Thanawala.
“If we can come out on the right side of the result on Friday, then it sets us up really nicely heading into the final week of the competition, but we can’t look too far ahead,” said Cumming.
“The most important thing is Friday. When we sit back after the game, we’ll look back and see [the position we’re in], but for now, we’ve just got to focus.
“We’re getting excited, and something we have done really well all year is put our plans together, so it’s all about our energy for tomorrow.”
In particular, Cumming is ready for the challenge that Friday’s opponents will pose, with the Taunton side sitting only two points behind The Blaze and with Finals Day ambitions of their own.
“We’re playing a really confident Somerset side, so it will be a good battle, but there’s a lot of internal confidence among our group too,” said Cumming.
“They’ve got players who look like they enjoy this format, and they play with real freedom, so we’ve got to make sure we go out there and play smart.”
Former New Zealand batter Cumming puts the fine balance between the sides down to one key concept, observing that Somerset are enjoying the opposite experience to The Blaze.
“This is a game of confidence, and it’s like, when you feel confident, you go out and play,” he said. “You take risks, you try and score, and you don’t think of consequences.
“At the moment, we’re a little bit on the opposite side of that, where we’ve become a bit risk-averse, but that’s what [Somerset] do brilliantly well.
“That’s why they are where they are in this competition, and I’m sure they’re excited about coming here, so it’s going to be a great battle,
“For us, we’ve just got to keep our positivity and our style of play, and as long as we remind ourselves what it is, that will give us the confidence to go out and execute it.”
