TRENT Bridge is always a difficult place to go to as Nottinghamshire are a team with a star-studded line-up.

We have to take confidence from our Yorkshire Bank 40 victory down at Hove earlier in the season to know we can beat the top sides and that was proved in some of our Friends Life t20 victories as well.

Notts’ opening partnership of Michael Lumb and Alex Hales is pretty scary — they are the England t20 openers after all — so it will be daunting for our bowlers, but hopefully they will be able to put the ball in the right areas and cause them problems.

Gareth Andrew has a sore back and is a doubt for today’s YB40 game at Notts (4.10pm), but it doesn’t seem too bad and I don’t think he’ll be out for too long.

The difference between the two sides in our YB40 defeat to Kent at New Road on Sunday was Rob Key.

It was a good wicket and one we’re not used to playing on at New Road — it was a 260-wicket, but we allowed them to post 290.

They managed an above-par score and that was down to Key’s innings and he was well backed up by Sam Northeast.

We were probably 30 over par with the ball, then 10-20 short with the bat after we lost too many wickets early on.

Personally, I have been happy with my 40-over form this season — I have scored more than 400 runs in the competiton at an average of over 45. Against Kent, I hit the ball well and scored at more than a run-a-ball.

Moeen Ali was named in the England Lions squad yesterday and that call-up is thoroughly deserved as he has been up there with the leading run-scorers in the country this season and has been fantastic for us.

We would have liked to have seen more of him in one-day cricket, but he has been fantastically consistent in four-day cricket and he deserves everything that comes his way.

If you look at the back-up batsmen to the senior England side, then Jonny Bairstow has struggled for form a little bit and next in line you have the likes of James Taylor and Michael Carberry, but they are not far ahead of Mo.

He is also a good bowler and our front-line spinner, which also counts in his favour.

We have a tour game against Bangladesh ‘A’ starting at New Road on Friday and it will be an opportunity to try a few things.

Mo will be away with the Lions and Thilan Samaraweera will probably have a rest, so it will be a chance to give some of our younger players game-time.

Also, Jack Shantry signed a new contract with the club last week and he has been brilliant for us during this campaign.

He didn’t start the season as number one, but forced his way into the side with wickets for the second XI and he has been outstanding in the first team ever since.