Momentum is the key for head coach Jon Lewis as his side prepare for another batch of games on the road, starting tonight at Edgbaston against the Birmingham Bears (7pm start).
Lewis’ side returned from a 12-day, four game trip across the Midlands and North West with a positive run of results.
Despite opening with a Natwest T20 Blast at Worcestershire Rapids, they recovered with an exceptional Specsavers County Championship win against tonight’s opponents and a short format win over holders Lancashire Lightning.
They ended with a four-day draw at Nottinghamshire in a battling performance after losing Brydon Carse, Graham Onions and James Weighell to injuries at various stages.
And Lewis said the lengthy time on the road eventually took its toll and admits the three week break from Championship cricket is a welcome one for his side.
“We were wearing a bit thin by the end of the Notts game, the batsmen were still going well but the bowlers were beginning to fall down a touch,” he said.
“It’s good we’ve got three weeks until our next Championship game, it gives us chance to get a bit of freshness back into the bowlers which we needed at the end of the Notts trip, without a doubt.
“It was a tough trip by the end. If you told me we would have had the defeat to Worcestershire, two wins and a draw following a 12/13 day trip, I would have said it was a pretty good effort.
“We’re using slightly different bowling attacks between the one dayers and four dayers at the moment, so the guys coming in on Wednesday night weren’t quite as on their last legs as the four day boys.
The games continue to come thick and fast throughout June as the Royal London One-Day Cup kicks into life over the weekend.
But first up is tonight’s Bears visit, a ground with good recent memories following the aforementioned comeback victory in red ball cricket.
Despite that win a couple of weeks back, Lewis is wary of the Bears’ pedigree in front of what is expected to be a large home crowd at Edgbaston.
“We’ve just come away with a good four-day win there which was an excellent performance but it’s a whole different game,” Lewis said. “At their ground in front of quite a few partisan home supporters, it will be a challenge but we have a good reason to go there with good confidence, having given a bloody nose to a couple of big sides already.
“They were solid wins on both accounts. Lancashire are the holders and we beat them at their ground, and Notts are expected to be there or thereabouts.
“Obviously they lost a couple of players without Alex Hales and James Taylor but they’re expected to be competitive in all formats but particularly the white ball.
“It is early days but we have good reason to be encouraged by the performances so far. It’s a good start but there’s a long way to go in the competition.”
Lewis will call upon the same 13-man squad that despatched the Notts Outlaws by 66 runs for both tonight’s trip and the Leicestershire Foxes game on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
Squad vs Birmingham Bears & Leicestershire Foxes (3 & 4 June): Mark Stoneman (c), Phil Mustard (wk), Paul Collingwood, Graham Clark, Michael Richardson, Calum MacLeod, Ryan Pringle, Keaton Jennings, Scott Borthwick, Paul Coughlin, Usman Arshad, Chris Rushworth, Barry McCarthy