Notts get serious for Twenty20

By Robin Chipperfield
BBC Radio Nottingham

It was a novelty, it was slap and giggle and we didn't do very well

Notts captain Chris Read

It is undoubtedly fair to say that Twenty20 cricket was not high on the list of Nottinghamshire's priorities when the competition started.

In a similar way to how the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal treat the League Cup in football, Notts did not take the competition too seriously. They played the games in a cavalier fashion, with little planning or tactics. Unsurprisingly they lost.

In fairness, Notts were performing well in other forms of the game - Championship success was the main target.

Captain Chris Read explained: "I think many counties were in a similar boat in the first few seasons. It was a novelty, it was 'slap and giggle' and unfortunately we did not do very well.

"But it's fantastic. You get a licence to hit the ball as far as you can. And I've enjoyed it the more I've played in it. I've seen that it's not just crash, bang, wallop!"

The increase in the competition's profile, and the ever-increasing crowds stimulated then-captain Stephen Fleming and coach Mick Newell into devising strategies and game-plans. And the results started to turn.

Since Fleming and Newell got to grips with Notts, the county have reached the quarter-finals of the competition, and also got to the 2006 final when they were controversially beaten by Leicestershire at their own Trent Bridge ground.

Newell said: "I've always enjoyed it (Twenty20), even when we were terrible at it! We've given the game a lot of thought over the past two or three years."

But in this year's competition, Notts will have to cope without many of their leading exponents of the game.

Although Adam Voges has a decent record in Twenty20, the effervescent David Hussey will arguably be the biggest loss.

Hussey's infectious batting, superb fielding, and more than useful slow bowling will certainly be missed, but Newell is hopeful that Voges can step into his fellow Australian's shoes.

"Adam has an excellent record in Twenty20 in Australia and I have no doubts about him taking Hussey's place," Newell said.

In addition to the absence of Hussey, Notts will also lack the guile of captain Fleming, and the economy of Ryan Sidebottom's bowling.

Sidebottom was a vital cog in the Notts bowling when they got to finals day. His contribution was summed up in the semi-final against Surrey.

NOTTS TWENTY20 FIXTURES

13 June - Yorkshire (a)

14 June - Durham (h)

16 June - Derbyshire (h)

18 June - Durham (a)

19 June - Leicestershire (h)

20 June - Derbyshire (a)

22 June - Lancashire (h)

24 June - Leicestershire (a)

25 June - Lancashire (a)

27 June - Yorkshire (h)

Whilst he did not bowl a maiden in his four-over spell, he still posted the most economical figures that season by conceding just seven runs.

All-rounder Mark Ealham revealed: "When it first started, it maybe wasn't so serious, but it's now one of the top competitions.

"It's obviously a competition the public want to watch, and we're here for entertainment.

"Twenty20 is a diluted one-day game, and if you don't play well in small areas of the game, you get beaten - by anybody.

"So you need to be on top form in all areas of the game. I think we've showed good consistency over the past few years, and if we can start well there's no reason we can't be a force."

But Notts will have to make do without Graeme Swann, the off-spinner and opening batsman having been called up to England's one-day squad later this summer.

If we can start well there's no reason why we can't be a force

Notts all-rounder Mark Ealham

So, much will depend on the experienced players who are still at Trent Bridge.

Notts will add the former New Zealand all-rounder Andre Adams to the mix, and have plenty of versatile cricketers who could all star this season.

Newell and Read are still to come up with new plans and tactics for this year.

"Do we use Andre as a pinch-hitter or back our specialist batsmen to do the job, bearing in mind we have a number of all-rounders down the order?" asked Newell.

The likes of Paul Franks, Mark Ealham, Samit Patel and Gareth Clough will also have key roles.

Ealham could be described as the perfect Twenty20 player - a miserly bowler, and a destructive batsman. Who could forget when the former England all-rounder crashed 30 off just one over from Leicestershire's David Masters?

But arguably Nottinghamshire's best all-rounder is wicketkeeper Chris Read.

He has had some experience of captaincy in Twenty20, but it will be interesting to see how Read copes with the sheer speed of decision-making in the game.

As captain, leading batsman and keeper, if he has a good campaign, his team will too.

You can hear commentary on every one of Nottinghamshire's matches in the Twenty20 cup on BBC Radio Nottingham and bbc.co.uk/nottingham