Nottinghamshire will begin their preparations for the 2008 season with a two-week tour to South Africa in March.

Director of Cricket Mick Newell will be taking a squad of 15 players to Pretoria for warm weather training and practice matches from March 12-26.

He said: “It’s important to get some outdoor practice ahead of the season and heading to South Africa virtually guarantees that we will have good weather in which to train.

“The first few days will involve a mix of fitness training and fielding practice before we go into matches, which we are in the process of finalising at the moment.

“I don’t expect all the players to be available at this stage, which is why we’re taking 15. David Hussey will be playing in Australia, and Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann may well be on tour with England.”