Chris Read may not only take a team sheet down to the coin toss ahead of Nottinghamshire’s LV= County Championship opener at Lord’s a week on Sunday but also Middlesex skipper Adam Voges’ old mug.
The former England wicketkeeper and Voges were team-mates at Trent Bridge when the Australian was Notts’ overseas player for four years from 2008.
Voges is held in high regard at the club after his heroics in helping win the championship on the final day of the 2010 campaign.
Requiring 400 with the bat and then three Lancashire wickets to secure the title, the right-hander struck 126 to claim maximum batting bonus points before Ryan Sidebottom and Andre Adams, now plying their trade at Yorkshire and Hampshire respectively, did the business with the ball.
An Australia Test call-up for series against West Indies and England this summer has limited Voges’ spell as Middlesex skipper to a quartet of four-day matches, the first of which will reunite him with his former employers.
And Notts captain Read believes that will be the perfect opportunity to return one of the belongings Voges left behind at Trent Bridge.
Read, whose side were beaten by 10 wickets by Middlesex early in the 2014 season, said: “It will be great to see him.
“He was involved in some memorable times, not least the championship win in 2010. I think he is a great friend to Notts.
“I think we have still got his mug upstairs so I might have to take that down to him and present him with it at the toss.”
The 36-year-old is embarking on his 17th season of first-class cricket, having made his Nottinghamshire debut in 1998.
Nottinghamshire media day https://t.co/vHLluFPB57
— Callum Dent (@cdent31) April 2, 2015
He has played 307 first-class matches and is only 32 dismissals away from registering 1,000.
When asked if the milestone would arrive this term, he said: “It would be great if it does. I will try and cling on to as many as I can and hopefully we have got the bowlers that can get those nicks that will come my way.
“It is a landmark that is one well respected and one that I have looked at as a real poignant landmark. I look forward to getting there.”
The omens suggest 2015 could be Notts’ year in the championship after triumphing in 2005 and 2010.
However, Read said: “I don’t read much into omens and superstitions and things like that.
Time for whites! pic.twitter.com/jclISmc8Fk
— Callum Dent (@cdent31) April 2, 2015
“I think we are well placed to challenge, but there are some fantastic teams we are going to come up against in Division One of the championship this year.
“If you go through Division One, there are no weak teams there and it has been like that for the last couple of years now.
“You look through every team and you see match-winners and you see teams that can potentially challenge.
“I see no reason why we can’t be one of those teams and why we can’t be up there. But, at the same time, recognise that there are some sides that have high-quality players and well-established squads.”
Notts have had a productive winter in the transfer market, making seven signings, including Greg Smith and Will Gidman from Division Two sides Leicestershire and Gloucestershire respectively.
. @alexhales in good spirits ahead of the new season. pic.twitter.com/IZ5qZ1rAJe
— Callum Dent (@cdent31) April 2, 2015
One man who knows the pair well is Alex Hales, who played with Smith for England Under-19s and alongside Gidman for Marylebone Cricket Club Young Cricketers.
The England limited-overs batsman said: “They have fitted in really well and are two very good cricketers. It is a really exciting squad, the most excited I have been heading into a season.”
Former Zimbabwe international Brendan Taylor will also bolster Notts’ batting ranks and, although top-order players Jake Libby and Michael Lumb will miss the start of the season, Hales believes there is plenty of strength in depth within Mick Newell’s squad.
The 26-year-old added: “Any environment you are in, where there is strong competition and a lot of skilful players, can only make every player a better person. The competition is very good and that will benefit us as a squad.”