Stuart Broad says tomorrow's NatWest T20 Blast against the Leicestershire Foxes feels like making his debut all over again, but insists the only thing that matters is an Outlaws victory.
And the 254 time England international believes Notts must be on top of their game if they are to beat Leicestershire Foxes, the only side to win the competition three times.
Broad, who last played T20 cricket for Notts in 2010, has happy memories of his previous appearance for the Outlaws in white ball cricket which came in 2013.
“The last white ball game I played for Notts was the Yorkshire Bank 40 final, which we managed to win so I’ve got good memories of play one-day cricket for the Outlaws,” said Broad, who took 3-29 in the final.
“I have not played many T20 games for Notts and it almost feels like a debut again.
“Hopefully I can contribue to a win tomorrow night; that is purely the aim.
“Obviously I want to go out, have fun and entertain the home crowd, but the most important thing is Notts getting over the line and I’ll be trying to help them do that.
“It’s all about the team – tomorrow night is all about Notts winning.
“We are playing our local rivals Leicestershire, my old county, who will be on fire after their first championship win in over 30 games.
“It’s a huge game to play in, I can’t wait and hopefully it will be very entertaining. Certainly people should come out, watch the match and have some fun.”
In Broad’s absence the Outlaws reached the knockout stages of both one-day competitions last year and currently have two wins from three in the NatWest T20 Blast this summer.
Broad is excited to rejoin the ranks and build on the momentum achieved over the first three games, but he has warned against any premature talk of the quarter-final.
“We want to entertain what will hopefully be a packed crowd and with the likes of Hales, Taylor, Sammy and Wessels in our line up, we’ve got players that can certainly do that. We’re going in to the game with pretty much an international team,” the 28-year-old said.
“Mick’s put a really exciting squad together, the guys love playing T20 cricket and they love playing at Trent Bridge with the fans right behind them.
“We’ve also got local lads playing, with the likes of Samit Patel, Luke Fletcher and Jake Ball, all obviously crowd favourites and that’s what the public want to see.
“It’s an exciting team to come into. I just hope I can put in a performance that helps get us over the line.
“It is dangerous to start talking about quarter-finals and finals this early in the season,” Broad continued.
“Part of being a professional sportsman is dealing with expectation, but if we break it down and focus on putting in performances game-after-game, we can get on the kind of run that can take you all the way.
“The likes of Michael Lumb and Ben Hilfenhaus are still to come into the side as well, bringing their own international qualities and experience from all around the world.
“You can never predict who is going to win a T20 competition because, once you get through the group stages, it’s all about performing in the pressure games.
“But when you have experienced players with proven track records, the chances of doing that are much higher.”
Broad reserved particular praise ahead of tomorrow's fixture for his fellow fast-bowler Luke Fletcher, who has become a mainstay of the the Outlaws line-up during Broad's time away from the 20 over format.
“Fletch is just such a consistent performer in the T20 stuff and he just loves being out there.
“The biggest thing about Fletch is that he knows his strengths and he sticks to them. He tries to get his yorkers in; he doesn’t try to be anything he’s not.
“As soon as a player realises what his strengths are then works on them and improves them, he can be a powerful force.
“He has become a regular performer for Notts, he’s won us games and it’s nice to see someone that plays his own way and plays with his own spirit.
“He’s loved by everyone and he’s certainly good fun to watch.”
Notts Outlaws squad to face Leicestershire Foxes (from): Jake Ball, Stuart Broad, Luke Fletcher, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Ben Hilfenhaus, Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Darren Sammy, Greg Smith, Brendan Taylor, James Taylor, Riki Wessels and Sam Wood.
Leicestershire Foxes squad to face Notts Outlaws (from): Mark Cosgrove (capt), Andrea Agathangelou, Umar Akmal, Matthew Boyce, Ned Eckersley, Clint McKay, Jigar Naik, Neil Pinner, Ben Raine, Atif Sheikh, Charlie Shreck, James Sykes, Rob Taylor, Tom Wells.
Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast Fixtures & Ticket Information
v Leicestershire Foxes – Friday 5 June 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Northants Steelbacks – Saturday 27 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Worcestershire Rapids – Friday 3 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 10 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
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