‘Don’t call up Ahmed to carry the drinks’ – Leicestershire coach Alfonso Thomas

Ahmed went straight into the Foxes side just days after returning from a successful spell with Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred.

“I called him up on Tuesday and he kind of answered the call with ‘I’m playing on Sunday’ and I said ‘that’s fine, you’re playing, you’re batting at three’,” said Thomas.

“That’s just the attitude he has. He’s an absolute superstar in the changing room and I think I’ve got two of the most exciting talents in the country in him and Hamza Shaikh.”

It was a bruising afternoon for the Foxes who lost Ben Green (quad) and Steve Eskinazi (shoulder) during Notts’ innings.

Wicketkeeper Ben Cox was also forced off after being struck by Haseeb Hameed’s bat but returned to the field after passing concussion tests.

“It just shows what this team is all about, everyone pulled together, the whole squad. The 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th man kept helping the boys out, kept them going on the field,” said Thomas.

“From an all-round point of view, that was Leicester to a tee.

“I think Coxy will be fine, Eski we’ll wait and see what the doc says and the scans. It’s going to be dependent on timescales for Green with the quad.”