{"id":2178,"date":"2025-04-04T02:44:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T02:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/2178\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T02:44:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T02:44:15","slug":"fearless-hameed-talks-of-desire-for-trent-bridge-fortress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/2178\/","title":{"rendered":"Fearless Hameed talks of desire for Trent Bridge fortress"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nottinghamshire captain Haseeb Hameed has issued a rallying cry to his squad on the eve of the 2025 Rothesay County Championship opener against Durham.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hameed leads a 15-strong group that has been named by Head Coach Peter Moores to take on the North East outfit at Trent Bridge from tomorrow, Friday 4 April (11am start).<\/p>\n

Olly Stone is unavailable after experiencing soreness in his knee during Notts’ pre-season fixtures, while Kyle Verreynne remains in South Africa as Western Province bid for a place in the CSA four-day series final.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Heading into his second season as skipper, the 28-year-old underlined his aim of making Trent Bridge an impenetrable bastion upon which to base the campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make Trent Bridge a fortress, and a place where opposition teams find it difficult to come and play their best cricket at,\u201d declared Hameed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeanwhile, we want to make sure we always play our best cricket here. We really appreciate the support we get here, we know the conditions well, and we want to get off to a strong start.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what you build up towards throughout the winter, so to be here on the eve of the first game of the season, is really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hameed\u2019s side has largely remained the same from the one he steered through his maiden campaign as captain in 2024, with only two exceptions in the party who are preparing to face Durham.<\/p>\n

Australian Fergus O\u2019Neill, recognised as the player of the tournament in the most recent Sheffield Shield, has arrived for the start of the campaign, as has Conor McKerr, from Surrey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe squad itself is really exciting, with a couple of new faces, and everyone is a year on in their journeys as cricketers,\u201d said Hameed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat feeds into our overall journey as a team, so hopefully we can build and do something special together this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaturally, just from doing the job as captain, you learn and you evolve with it as a leader, so I\u2019m more comfortable in the role now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having had a season to adjust to the role, Hameed seized the opportunity to stamp his mark on the team throughout the pre-season programme.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite unique in cricket, where you have a lot of time off from playing,\u201d he mused. \u201cWithin that, we\u2019re still training and ticking over physically to make ourselves ready for this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had the trip to Abu Dhabi, a couple of pre-season games, and then we\u2019ve been training out on grass for the last couple of weeks, which has made it seem more real.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe work the lads did in those pre-season games showed that we\u2019re moving in the right direction, which is really good.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving time in the middle in competitive situations was also nice, and that was all part of the preparation to ensure we\u2019re ready to be absolutely on it come tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hameed knows the challenge that the first opposition of the season will pose, but has full confidence, with the backing of the Trent Bridge faithful behind them, in his squad.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a really competitive league, full of really good, strong teams, but we believe we\u2019re one of those,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really exciting challenge to take on Durham first up, and it will be a great game. Being at home is great as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ready to go, and we\u2019re looking forward to putting on a good show for the home members and fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

*******<\/p>\n

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