Mick Newell believes captaincy is a natural progression for Dan Christian’s career, as the former Australia international prepares to lead the Notts Outlaws for the first time.
Birmingham Bears are the visitors for the 2016 NatWest T20 Blast opener on Friday – and the Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket believes Christian’s vast experience & popularity make him the perfect candidate for the leadership role.
“He’ll bring a lot of experience and skill,” said Newell.
“He’s played Twenty20 cricket around the world, including the IPL and the Big Bash, which are two premier tournaments that he’s done well in. Certainly in the Big Bash he’s got an excellent record.
“We enjoyed having him last year and thought he had a very good 50-over season, but we didn’t use him quite right in 20-over cricket.
“This year we’ll seek to get him a little bit higher up the batting order, giving him more chance to make more of an impact for us.
“Dan can just think about T20 cricket as a captain, he can talk to players about the format specifically without his decisions having an impact on other formats.
“I know the players are looking forward to playing under his captaincy and showing what they can do.”
Christian’s clean ball striking provided the 2015/16 Australian Big Bash with one of its highlights, including a remarkable 117-meter six on to the roof of the Gabba in Brisbane.
“You’ve got to pick the right time for people to become a captain and the time is right for Dan,” added Newell.
“He’s been a senior player in the Big Bash for the last couple of years.
“It’s absolutely crucial to get an overseas player who really commits to the Club – and it wasn’t difficult to persuade Dan to come back because he enjoyed it so much last year.
“It also wasn’t difficult asking him to be captain because the players have a lot of respect for what he’s done, both for us and for other teams across the world.”
The Outlaws have armed themselves with a 13-man squad for the floodlit fixture and, although opportunities to practice with the white ball have been limited, Newell is banking on his side’s vast limited-overs experience.
“The block of four-day cricket at the start of the season is a comfortable period for the players in terms of preparation, because it’s only one form of the game.
“Twenty20 is an exciting change and we’re looking forward enormously to having a big crowd.
“There are challenges it throws up in terms of different preparation, travel and short turnarounds between competitions.
“We have a fairly experienced group of players that know the way they want to play 20-over cricket,” Newell continued.
“We’re not starting from scratch with a new squad. It’s a group of cricketers who’ve played enough T20 cricket, individually and for Notts, to know their own games.
“We’re going out there to play good aggressive cricket and to show people that we are the talented one-day side we know we are.”
Notts Outlaws squad to face the Birmingham Bears (from): Dan Christian, Matthew Carter, Luke Fletcher, Harry Gurney, Brett Hutton, Michael Lumb, Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Chris Read, Greg Smith, Brendan Taylor, Riki Wessels, Sam Wood.
Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast Fixtures & Ticket Information
Vs. Birmingham Bears – Friday 20 May 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
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Vs. Lancashire Lightning – Saturday 4 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 10 June 7.15pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Durham Jets – Friday 1 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Worcestershire Rapids – Saturday 9 July 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Yorkshire Vikings – Friday 15 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
Vs. Leicestershire Foxes – Friday 29 July 6.30pm BUY TICKETS
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