Ask any Nottinghamshire supporter, of any persuasion, for their most memorable season of the past decade, and it is highly likely you will receive the same answer, many times over.

There have been other triumphs since. Dan Christian lifted the 2020 Vitality Blast trophy in an eerily empty Edgbaston, two years before Steven Mullaney proudly brandished the County Championship Division Two cup on a sunny September afternoon at Trent Bridge.

Yet, despite those two trophies being altogether more recent, there is a far higher chance that the Green and Gold faithful will look back on one campaign above all others.

That, unequivocally, is the double-winning season of 2017, when Notts Outlaws proved themselves the undisputed kings of white-ball cricket in England and Wales, and, right at the heart of it all, was the irrepressible Zimbabwean Brendan Taylor.

“That was so special, it was by far the greatest few weeks of our whole cricketing careers,” recalls Taylor.

Now 39, he has dialled in from Zimbabwe for a special discussion ahead of a summer which will see the connection between his home nation and Trent Bridge re-established as the Chevrons visit Nottingham for their first Test in England in 22 years.

“Internationals didn’t matter then, that was it - that was the best,” he continues. “Looking back now, what it meant to the club and what it meant to the players, to be a part of that was massively special.

“We had some great team performances, but that Lord’s final and then winning in Birmingham on Finals Day - that was something else!”

For Taylor, that was the culmination of a three-year stint in the East Midlands that provided all that he hoped for and more.

He signed for the Green and Golds following a decade-long international career in which he established himself as one of the greatest players to ever emerge from Zimbabwe.

Indeed, many of the numbers Taylor posted with the bat while representing his country are bettered only by the legendary Flower brothers.

“It felt like I needed a good change,” he says of the decision to call time on his years with Zimbabwe and move to Nottinghamshire.

“Historically, Notts is a massive club, when you look at the players that have been involved there, and I think the timing of it was important.

“There was no better option than Notts, and it was a huge privilege. I’m so glad I did that.”

“The relationship [I had] with Mick Newell as well, and the welcome he gave me; you could feel like you were entering into a pretty special place.

“Then with Stuart Broad, and Chris Read, Samit [Patel], Michael Lumb, Alex Hales - you sort of go ‘I want to be a part of this special group.’

“The added bonus, [and] I remember the surreal feeling, of walking out at Lord’s in my first game, against Middlesex, was quite something. It was amazing.”

Given the quality among that list of example names, it is hardly surprising that Taylor enjoyed such success during his time in Green and Gold.

In particular, there was one man he formed an especially close bond with, whose identity will hardly shock the Trent Bridge faithful.

“I’d always go and see Fletch [Luke Fletcher], and spend some time with him,” recalls Taylor.

“He can put a smile on anyone’s face! He’s a remarkable person, a remarkable friend. He offers oxygen to anyone; he’s such a good man.”

Even through a screen connecting him back to Nottingham from several thousand miles away, Taylor’s unabashed and forthright character has been evident throughout.

Shining through more than anything too is his love for the club that he proudly represented for three seasons, and the venue that became his second home.

“The chance to play at Trent Bridge was massive too. Zimbabwe don’t have that, a place where there is so much rich cricketing history,” he muses.

“You can feel how special a place it is when you walk through the doors into the changing rooms, and you see the surroundings, the names on the plaques, it’s massive.

“It was very special, and you really can feel the importance of the club to the players, and how much bigger it is than any one player.

“The ground is hugely loved, and the club is massively respected.”