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Vitality County Championship Preview: Nottinghamshire v Somerset
THE MATCH
Somerset travel to Trent Bridge to take on Nottinghamshire in the Vitality County Championship First Division.
Day one of this fixture is due to get underway tomorrow (Sunday June 23rd).
Somerset are currently third in the Vitality County Championship Division One table with 99 points from our seven fixtures, whilst Nottinghamshire are sixth with 79 points form the same number of matches.
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 11am to 1pm
Afternoon session: 1:40pm to 3:40pm
Evening session: 4pm to 6pm
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website which will feature a live stream of the action courtesy of Nottinghamshire CCC.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
Don’t forget that we have introduced the Trade Nation Win Predictor on our Match Centre in 2024.
The predictor, which is powered by CricViz and commonly used across the game as ‘WinViz’, is utilised by broadcasters around the world to help viewers get an accurate impression of which team is winning at any given moment.
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Haseeb Hameed
Head Coach: Peter Moores
2023 finish: Sixth (Division One)
2023 highest run-scorer: Joe Clarke (1,053)
2023 highest wicket-taker: Brett Hutton (62)
What can we expect?: With Stuart Broad retired, club legend Patel moving on, Mullaney effectively calling time on his senior career and Alex Hales prioritising other commitments over the Blast, it feels like the end of an era at Trent Bridge. The big question is how smoothly they can transition to a new one while two new captains simultaneously try to find their feet. Whether Haynes, only 23, can make the impact many believe he can at a higher level after five Championship hundreds in the last two seasons for Worcestershire. The classy right-hander should bed in well with two New Road colleagues making the switch with him. He has the potential to be Nottinghamshire’s most important winter signing.
Key winter moves: After Steven Mullaney’s switch to Second XI captain and player-coach, Haseeb Hameed skippers the red-ball side with Joe Clarke leading in T20. Samit Patel and Jake Ball depart, while fast bowler Dillon Pennington, England quick Josh Tongue (currently injured) and young batter Jack Haynes arrive from Worcestershire. New Zealand batter Will Young returns from mid-April until the end of the Blast.
One to watch: Ben Duckett was Bazballing even before it was a thing, but in his likely absence with England, Clarke or wicketkeeper-batter Tom Moores are the likeliest to take an up-tempo approach.
Final thought: How well Nottinghamshire have recruited will be measured by whether they can finish higher than last season’s sixth, which was a fair reflection of their level. How much they see of the talented speedster Tongue is open to question, given that England will have first call on him once his latest injury has healed, but Pennington and Haynes look sound acquisitions and Young adds some proven quality. Members will welcome the promotion of exciting homegrown prospect Freddie McCann to the senior squad too.
TEAM NEWS
Lewis Gregory misses the match with a slight groin issue and is replaced in the squad by Ben Green. Craig Overton will captain the side. Tom Kohler-Cadmore returns to the County Championship squad for the first time this season.
Somerset have named the following squad for the fixture: Craig Overton, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Andy Umeed, James Rew, Ben Green, Migael Pretorius, Kasey Aldridge, Josh Davey, Jack Leach and Jake Ball.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We had an interesting game against Notts at Taunton and we’re looking forward to getting back into red-ball cricket. We’ve now got two Championship games that are incredibly important in the context of this season. We need to make sure that we’re ready for that challenge and put in performances that ensure that we’re still in the hunt come September.
“The reality is that it can be difficult to switch between T20 and Championship cricket. We need to make sure that we are mentally in the right place and prepared for the challenge over the three days.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 2016 for the classic County Championship match between the sides.
Somerset faced Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in July that year and secured an impressive 10-wicket victory thanks in no small part to a double century from Marcus Trescothick.
After winning the toss, Nottinghamshire skipper, Chris Read elected to bat first. It seemed like a good decision after Steven Mullaney and Jacob Libby shared an opening stand of 196. Mullaney eventually fell for 165 as the hosts posted a fist innings total of 401. Craig Overton was the pick of the Somerset bowlers, claiming four for 54.
In reply, Trescothick and Johann Myburgh added 123 for the first wicket. Jim Allenby added 63 later in the innings but it was Trescothick who was the standout performer, amassing 218 runs in Somerset’s total of 437.
Batting for a second time, Notts were dismissed for 135 as Allenby and Lewis Gregory both claimed three wickets.
Needing just 100 to win, Trescothick and Myburgh eased Somerset to the required total as they claimed a comprehensive victory.
WPA PREDICTIONS LEAGUE
The 2024 season is now upon us and that means another summer of elite cricket at the Cooper Associates County Ground, the sound of leather on willow and the return of the WPA Predictions League.
Powered by WPA Health Insurance, the game allows you to test your cricket knowledge against your friends and colleagues by scoring points during every Somerset match.
Your correct predictions will transfer into points, and you will be able to monitor your progress on the leaderboard.
The person with the most points at the end of the season in each competition will win a prize!
All you have to do is predict, watch and win!
Good luck!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Nottinghamshire CCC Website.
NEXT MATCH
Our next match begins on Sunday June 30th when we take on Warwickshire in the Vitality County Championship at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
