Haseeb Hameed feels the range of experiences his Outlaws have gained during the One Day Cup so far leave them well-placed to compete for a knockout place as the competition nears the halfway stage.

Notts' campaign has featured a win, a defeat and an enthralling tie so far, with a trip to Kibworth to face Leicestershire Foxes awaiting (Wednesday 13 August, 11am start).

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster really," he said.

"It was a great win against Essex, I thought Tommy (Tom Moores) played an unbelievable innings, especially in that partnership with Samsy. I thought we were really good with the ball, Lordy in particular bowled beautifully and so did Joe Pocklington in that game."

And yet just 48 hours later, perhaps one of the more unusual, yet thrilling, matches that Notts have been involved in recently also took place at the John Fretwell Complex.

“Worcester was definitely one of the more unbelievable games I’ve been involved in,” he said.

“We were feeling like it was probably dead and buried at one point at 140/7 – but then to tie the game, I thought we showed incredible character and resilience to get ourselves into that position. The supporters were great at Welbeck, too – it was a good showing against a strong Worcestershire side, so we take the two points there.”

More recently, a tough battle with neighbours’ Derbyshire on Sunday was a tough pill to swallow.

“It was a disappointing game – in the first 40 overs we were really good and then we lost control in those last 10 overs and ended up giving them a few too many. Then with the bat we lost a few too many wickets too early.

“I guess we’ve had a number of different experiences three games in, but we’re excited for the next few games.”

Barring the omission of Daniel Sams, who has now completed his three-match spell in the tournament, Notts named an unchanged squad for their trip to Kibworth.

Liam Patterson-White and Freddie McCann have since been added to the party, having been part of the Birmingham Phoenix squad in The Hundred. 

Notts: Hameed (c), Giles, Hatton-Lowe, Hayes, Hutton, James, King, Lord, Martindale, McCann, Moores, Patterson-White, Pocklington, Seecharan, Slater.

Captain Hameed emphasised the importance of addressing some of the areas for improvement that have arisen in the competition so far.

“In terms of our priorities going into tomorrow, we recognise we’ve lost too many wickets too early really, that’s something we’ll try and put right as a batting unit,” Hameed commented.

“We’re also yet to learn if any of The Hundred boys might come back, which will be nice to see them back in the team if so.”

Hameed was keen to focus on the standout performances that has also been on display in the opening three matches.

“There’s a lot of lads playing great cricket as well, so you’ve still got to give players that confidence and that freedom to go out and play their best," he said.

“It’s a case of trying to marry the two together, which is ultimately the challenge of 50-over cricket. There have been a number of different boys who have stepped up and put in some really good performances over the course of the three games we’ve played so far.

"Hopefully we can string a good all-round performance tomorrow we can put ourselves into a good position.”

Hameed was quick to praise the likes of Joe Pocklington, Rob Lord and James Hayes, and credits the impact they’ve each had in the first week of fixtures.

“I’m really pleased with them. Obviously that’s one of the real benefits of this competition; it gives an opportunity to some of the younger lads and those who haven’t played so much first team cricket,” he stated.

“Hayesy got a four-fer at Welbeck which was really nice for him, Lordy has been really impressive with bat and ball so we can take a lot confidence from that, and Pockers has obviously come in and fitted in really well. He’s got a good head on young shoulders; he’s competitive, gets right into the game and contributes in all three factors of the game. So I’m really pleased with all three of them.”

As the leader, how does he bring out the best in the youngsters chomping at the bit to impress in such a competitive format?

“I just give them the freedom to express themselves, especially in what’s quite a fast-paced tournament. You just back them to deliver on their strengths and obviously the strengths that they’ve got, you try and give them the confidence to go out there and showcase those skills really. It’s quite a simple message from my end.”

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