Lumb tips Notts to perform

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Michael Lumb believes Nottinghamshire have the strength in depth to go all the way in the Friends Life t20, having been boosted by three players who have won the competition in the last two years.

Lumb, who aided Hampshire's 2010 triumph, is one and the others are James Taylor and Harry Gurney, who helped Leicestershire to unexpected success last season.

Lumb was cruelly denied the chance to play in a home finals day in 2010 when he suffered a broken foot two days earlier. Injury also prevented him playing in last year's showpiece when Hampshire lost a one-over eliminator to Somerset in the second Edgbaston semi-final.

Like Lumb a year before, Gurney - who took 23 wickets in the 2011 North Group - missed out on a finals day appearance due to injury; in the seamer's case a side strain.

However, Taylor took his tournament run-tally to 337 as Leicestershire overcame Lancashire in a super over and Somerset by 18 runs in the final.

With the trio joined by overseas stalwart Adam Voges, in his fifth spell with club, Notts appear well set to improve on last year's quarter-final defeat to Somerset.

"I'm very excited, looking forward to it. It'll be good to walk out with Notts," Lumb told ecb.co.uk. "We've got a strong squad so hopefully we can have some success."

Michael Lumb is relishing the trip to Leicestershire, saying: "It'll be good to go there and knock the champions over first game."

The Outlaws begin their campaign today against the defending champions, with Taylor and Gurney having an immediate opportunity to return to Grace Road.

Lumb views the televised match as potentially an ideal start for Notts, who beat the Foxes to top spot in last year's North Group by a point.

"It'll be good to go there and knock the champions over first game," he added. "We're looking forward to going down and hopefully we can get one over them."

Today's contest is the first of 10 for each team, the tournament having been restructured from two groups of nine to three pools of six. Lumb certainly appreciates the reduction.

"I think having 16 was too many last year. It just got a bit monotonous and ended up taking the shine off the games," he said.

"If you lost a couple you always knew you had a way back with 12 games to go. Each game will be more intense and it'll be good for the spectators. That's what we want; we want the standard to be nice and high."

The increase in standard that Lumb anticipates could well make the quarter-finals harder to reach than last year in already the most open of the three county formats.

"All the teams at this point in the season will fancy their chances," he observed. "In Twenty20 it can be anyone's day in any given match.

"We'll have to be on our guard and do the right things in preparation and hopefully the results will take care of themselves."

Lumb has helped Notts to the top of the championship with 604 runs, including two hundreds, at an average of 40.26.

He hopes his and his county's fine form continues over the next month, which is dedicated to the FLt20 group stage.

"Hopefully we can take some momentum from the four-day stuff into the Twenty20 and have some success," he said. "We'll take it seriously. Our overall goal is the county championship.

"This competition's growing and Twenty20 around the world. So you want to have success and we'll be taking it seriously.

"With a strong squad and taking it seriously, hopefully we can get over the line this year."

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