ALL the preparation is done for the Yorkshire Bank 40 final, now it's down to who can cope with the pressure at Lord's.

In some ways it has been a strange week because we are desperate to finish the season strongly in the County Championship.

We've been busy up against Essex in the rain of Chelmsford – apart from Jim Allenby, Graham Wagg and Simon Jones, who have been put through their paces by Robert Croft in Cardiff – but it can't be denied that we have had one eye on today's showdown with Nottinghamshire.

Plenty of texts and messages on social media have been coming our way, wishing us luck and telling us how many buses are heading over the Severn Bridge. It's been a distraction, but a nice one.

You are involved with cricket for games like today but we are going to Lord's to win, not to have a day out.

The memories will be much, much sweeter for players, coaches, our families and supporters if we can look back on a victory.

Nottinghamshire are the favourites and are under pressure because they've not played a Lord's final since 1989.

They are a quality side and there is a lot of expectation on their shoulders.

Notts have a strong batting line-up featuring Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, James Taylor, Samit Patel, David Hussey, Riki Wessels and Chris Read.

We've got to restrict them and my job as analyst this week has been about how we can negate their strengths, push them into scoring into unfavoured areas and pile the pressure on them.

They will look to hurt us with their batting but their bowling has also had plenty of column inches this week with talk about England stars Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann being available.

It must have been a tricky situation for their coaching team to manage because I must say that I'd be pretty disappointed if I was one of the boys that got them to Lord's and then missed out on the final.

Notts have some high profile players but we have 11 potential match-winners in our ranks.

Michael Hogan, Jim Allenby and Murray Goodwin perhaps get most of the plaudits but everybody has played their part in getting us to this stage.

Hopefully they can execute their skills in a big game and special atmosphere.

I was lucky enough to play at Lord's on quite a few occasions and it is just a magical place.

It may sound corny but when you look up to the famous stands you feel like you are in the film Gladiator walking out into the Colosseum.

By the time you read this my work is pretty much done, we had a team meeting last night and it then it was early to bed.

The bus will take us from our Chelsea hotel to Lord's and then it will be down to the boys to produce the goods in front of a packed house, no doubt with Hymns and Arias being sung with gusto.

We're underdogs but fingers crossed we will be getting onto our coach tomorrow morning with sore heads and the YB40 trophy.