Nottinghamshire hope home advantage helps in t20

We've played some tremendous Twenty20 cricket

Steven Mullaney

Nottinghamshire's Steven Mullaney hopes their fine Trent Bridge record will give them the edge over Sussex in Monday's FP t20 quarter-final.

Notts lost only one of the eight home group games - a rain-affected encounter against Leicestershire.

All-rounder Mullaney told BBC Radio Nottingham: "It's a massive advantage because Sussex play so well at home.

"We've played some tremendous Twenty20 cricket and we've got our own game-plans at Trent Bridge."

Nottinghamshire's excellent home record helped them to a second-placed finish in the northern group.

Notts have been captained in Twenty20 cricket this season by David Hussey, with Dirk Nannes as the second overseas player.

Nannes has enjoyed T20 success with Middlesex, Victoria and Delhi Daredevils and says his experience in Nottingham has been just as rewarding.

"I'm having a great time here - it's a fantastic place to play, a terrific ground and most importantly the guys I'm playing with have been fantastic," Nannes said.

"It's been really enjoyable in the dressing which makes for good cricket and a happy time. And I guess when you are winning, it makes it a lot easier as well.

I'm having a great time here - it's a fantastic place to play

Dirk Nannes

"We've had a great run. There have been a couple of games that could have gone either way but we have been strong enough to get over the line and we've only had the one loss at home.

"Sussex are a good side, they went to the Champions League last year and did reasonably well and were pretty competitive.

"You don't get to the finals unless you are a good side. Hopefully the home ground advantage of ours comes to the fore and we can make it eight wins out of nine. That would be great."

Sussex started well in the FP t20 this season, but lost their final four matches in the southern group to finish third, forcing them to travel for the quarter-final.

With Indian Premier League and Champions League opportunities for successful exponents of the Twenty20 game, Mullaney says that the importance of the shortest form of the game has increased.

"[Winning t20] is probably on a par with winning the Championship now," Mullaney said.

"There are opportunities for people presenting themselves because financially it's very good.

"The exposure that people get is phenomenal, with the IPL. If you have a good couple of seasons, it opens things up in that department. It's massive, Twenty20," added the former Lancashire player.

Notts all-rounder Paul Franks told BBC Radio Nottingham: "It's been a 16-match phase to get through the group stage, and we've ebbed and flowed, and not had a really good or bad run.

"Whereas they [Sussex] have petered out a little bit, so maybe we take that as a positive."

The the winners of each quarter-final will play on finals day at Hampshire's Rose Bowl on 14 August.

Nottinghamshire have only once reached finals day, which was played at their own Trent Bridge ground.

They lost to Leicestershire in controversial circumstances in the final in 2006, and have only emerged from the group stages on one other occasion - until this season.

Franks added: "We experienced it on home ground a few years ago, when we fell just short against a strong Leicester side, but there's no reason why we can't do very well this year. We've been pretty consistent."

Nottinghamshire face Sussex in the FP t20 quarter-final at Trent Bridge on Monday 26 July at 1925 BST. You can hear commentary on BBC Radio Nottingham and online at bbc.co.uk/cricket.