After a shaky start in
the Championship and a perfect opening to the YB40, one-day cricket could be
Notts' best chance of silverware this season. (Published for ESPN Cricinfo
Supporter's Network)
They say three is a
magic number, and last Sunday saw Nottinghamshire pull off their very own hat
trick, as they made it three wins from three matches in the YB40, leaving them
top of Group A and finding themselves pondering whether the one-day format could
be the way to go this season.
Mick Newell said
prior to the start of the season that the County Championship was still the
priority, but judging on performances in that format compared to those over the
past week, fans may rightly be thinking that the best chance of silverware this
season may be in the limited-over competitions.
What was so pleasing
last week was the ease in which runs seem to be coming - one only has to
observe how fine innings from the ever-impressive James Taylor, consistent
Samit Patel, super-smashing Alex Hales and steady Riki Wessels have all guided
the Notts side to victory in the YB40.
Juxtapose that
against the long haul of the four day Championship and, as a team, they have
struggled to find any consistency on good batting wickets in their opening
three games - shown by the winning margins of Middlesex and Durham - nine and
six wickets respectively.
Obviously when you
mention how well the top order have been doing so far, some bloke next to you
will inevitably turn to you and say that "it means zilch if the bowlers
can't bowl, young man."
Fortunately for said
bloke, we've seen the perfect complement so far with the Notts bowlers all
chipping in when they need to. Jake Ball has bowled tightly and picked up
valuable wickets, Swanny has inevitably shown his class coming back from
injury, and Stephen Mullaney's four wicket haul against Kent is arguably the
performance of the season in all formats so far.
Of course the
four-day competition is still the one most counties would like to excel in, but
I do not see any reason how this talented all-round Notts side could not be
serious challengers in the one-day formats. And why not relish it? It's been 22
years since they have had any real success in a limited over competition - if
you count the 1991 Refuge Assurance League as a success - and you'll have to go
back a couple more years to find Notts' name at the top of the pile in the
Benson & Hedges Cup. They came close in 2008, but since then a finals day
in the T20 competition in 2010 has been the closest they've come.
With the Ashes
contingent soon to depart, I fear this Notts side may not have enough to
challenge in the County Championship, but the strength they've shown in the
opening week of the YB40 suggests to me that they can succeed even without the
likes of Swann, Cowan and Broad.
It says a lot about
the team's form when the only outstanding concern you can point out is the form
of Michael Lumb, who, having had a decent spell at the Big Bash, promised
bigger things in our one-day competition, but has so far stuttered to scores of
just 5, 11, and a duck on Sunday. I'm confident he'll turn it around soon, but
so far his saving grace is his magnificent 123 against Durham in the County
Championship, albeit those efforts were in vain.
Maybe I'm getting
carried away with the start Notts have had in the YB40, and maybe we fans
should say a collective thank you to Messrs Duckworth and Lewis for their
algorithmic assistance to help with the victories against Worcestershire and
Kent. But remember this time last season, when we'd just lost to a Scotland
team who claimed what became their only victory in the whole season?
This season has
started at a lightning pace for Nottinghamshire, and at this early stage in the
season there is plenty of reason to be optimistic, in the one-day format at
least, for the team to carry on as they've begun and become genuine title
contenders.
