Forgotten man Stephen Moore is urging Lancashire Lightning to banish their opening day Yorkshire Bank 40 humbling when they travel to face Derbyshire Falcons.
Moore is yet to feature in the LV=County Championship so far this season but top-scored as the Red Rose started their limited overs campaign with defeat to Durham Dynamos.
And the former Worcestershire opener accepts Peter Moores’ side cannot afford too many repeats of last weekend if they are to progress in this competition.
“We know we can only slip up a handful of times, but we are a good one-day unit. We’ve proved it over the last few years,” he told the official Lancashire website
“And if you are going to slip up, do it on the first game. You don’t want to be slipping up when it’s all to play for.
“If you can get on a roll, it’s a great momentum builder. Although points are tight in the competition, you want to be peaking towards the end of the competition.”
Despite most batsmen recording half-centuries, Lancashire’s top-order has failed to fire on a consistent basis so far this year.
This was the case against Durham as Lightning raced out the blocks to reach 73-1 off 11 overs, but tailed off to record a below par 216-9.
And Moore is under no illusions this is something which needs addressing if the Red Rose are to secure top spot in their group and qualify automatically for the semi-finals.
“The first eight overs of powerplay went to plan, but from then on we lost our way with bat and then following up with the ball,” he added.
“By our standards we don’t hide from the fact that we didn’t put in the performance we expect from ourselves. Across the board, we’re all pretty disappointed with ourselves.
“In this format, you’ve only got 40 overs. The top four or five batsmen are vital for you. You want one of your top five there at the end if you are setting a target.
“There were a few guys who got set and didn’t go on, myself included.”
In addition to Derbyshire and Durham, Lancashire share Group B with last season’s runners-up in this competition Hampshire, Surrey, Essex and Scotland.
And Moore insists the Red Rose will have to build on their impressive recent record in 40-over cricket – 15 wins in 26 matches – especially considering the strength of Group B.
“I think everyone who has looked at our group probably realises we have the strongest group of the three,” he said.
“That has its pros and cons. The positive side is that if you come through it, you’re going to be well placed to go on and win the competition.
“The negative side is that every game is like a final. You’ve got some really talented one-day sides out there, and if you do the maths you realise that you don’t have many chances.”
Lancashire Lightning squad: Glen Chapple (Captain), Karl Brown, Jordan Clark, Steven Croft, Gareth Cross (Wicketkeeper), Kyle Hogg, Simon Katich, Arron Lilley, Stephen Moore, Oliver Newby, Stephen Parry, Luke Procter, Ashwell Prince, Wayne White
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