Dan Christian admits he has a tough act to follow in Chris Read as he prepares to take on the Notts Outlaws captaincy for the NatWest T20 Blast campaign – but he is determined to carry over the Club’s momentum from their Royal London One-Day Cup victory.
The Australian all-rounder, 34, returns after skippering in 2016, and will resume that role for the duration of the 2017 tournament, having arrived in England just in time to witness the spectacular Lord’s 50-over final triumph against Surrey last Saturday.
Christian – who has enjoyed a six-week break after playing for Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL and, before that, Hobart Hurricanes and Victoria in the Australian domestic season – feels it is an ideal scenario for him to inherit.
“I’m very excited to be back and I’ve come in at a great time, with the one-day final win being a fantastic day for everyone at the Club,” he said. “I’m really looking to build on the momentum the boys have generated so far this year, both in the County Championship and one-day competition.
“It was great to see Ready get some runs in the final and then hold the trophy up in his last one-day game for the Club.
“I suppose it means I have got big shoes to fill! He’s been fantastic for the Club for such a long time, but it will give him a chance to have a bit of a rest from the captaincy while I take the reins, before he gets back into it for the Championship stuff.”
Christian took part in training at Welbeck yesterday and is leading a strong Outlaws squad who will play two Second XI Twenty20 North Division games against Northamptonshire Steelbacks today (Wednesday), which will act as a warm-up ahead of Friday’s first game at Yorkshire Vikings (6.30pm).
The team will then make the trip to Edgbaston to face Birmingham Bears on Saturday (7pm) before a near two-week break until the eagerly-anticipated first home game of the NatWest T20 Blast against neighbours Derbyshire Falcons on Friday 21 July.
Also set to feature at Headingley is fellow overseas signing, Ish Sodhi, who is experiencing county cricket for the first time.
Over the winter, the leg-spinner, 24, played for Northern Districts in his native New Zealand and for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash, where he took 6-11 against Sydney Thunder – the second-best ever figures in the competition.
He said: “I’ve been a little bit jet-lagged in my first couple of days here, but the prospect of playing county cricket for the first time is very exciting.
“The challenge of playing in different conditions appealed to me about playing in England, as they vary so much around the world.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how English batsmen play and how I can implement my skills for Nottinghamshire. Hopefully, I can have an impact.”
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