Steven Mullaney: Nottinghamshire focused on title in top-flight return

Last season they went on to win the Division 2 title and promotion.

"A lot of work has gone into the journey, which hopefully will end in Premier League victory," Mullaney said .

"As good as he won a trophy last year - and that was very special - we also know it was part of the journey.

"I hope we can make our case this year."

Nottinghamshire took place between June 2018 and May 2021 - a period of almost three years that included the pandemic-interrupted 2020 campaign - without winning a four-day game.

Notts has last played in the top flight before the pandemic in 2019, when they were relegated without winning a game.

Mullaney says their return to Division 1, which begins Thursday at Hampshire, will be a "great challenge" and one all Notts players are "excited about".

"We aim to be at the very top," Mullaney told BBC East Midlands Today.

"I don't think you can win if you don't believe you can.

"I hope people underestimate us, because that would be ideal."

< p class="" data-reactid=".1i7dl7xckhc.0.0.0.1.$paragraph -14">Notts head coach Peter Moores says their opener against Hampshire, a team that finished third last season, "is a good place to start".

< p class="" data-reactid=".1i7dl7xckhc.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-15">"Playing against someone who did well last season is a good benchmark to see how we're going to go", a- he said.