For Nottinghamshire, the 2013 season will be one fondly remembered for the jubilant scenes at Lord’s as the Outlaws proved dominant in the Yorkshire Bank 40 final. lifting the trophy after brushing Glamorgan aside.
While the Outlaws side oozed class and technical ability, Nottinghamshire struggled to take wickets in the LV= County Championship. In fact, their attack took a full 20 on just three occasions.
Director of Cricket Mick Newell was quick to acknowledge the need for potency with the ball in the game’s longest format, and is expecting a big contribution from Australian international Peter Siddle, who has signed as the county's overseas player for the season.
In Siddle, Nottinghamshire should have their missing piece. While Mitchell Johnson has rightly taken the majority of the plaudits after a winter terrorizing England, Siddle’s influence alongside Ryan Harris shouldn’t be understated. He bowled quickly, consistently and built pressure well, before blows from Johnson reaped the rewards.
“When we're bowling at our consistent best like we did throughout this series I think it shows [we are the best]," he said.
“The consistency we've had against England over a five Test series, no-one's ever really done it as successfully as we have, to be able to do that and win so convincingly shows how strong we are at the moment.
"I don't think we've let any partnership get too big on us, and we're able to break them and get stuck into the rest - that's what caused all the collapses.”
Working inside a versatile unit like the Australian pack clearly paid dividends for Siddle and he’ll be joining a Nottinghamshire side blessed with similar variety.
The mercurial Andre Adams will be looking to bounce back from an injury-hit 2013 to partner Siddle, Harry Gurney has grown in stature over the past year, and Luke Fletcher, Ajmal Shahzad and the returning Andy Carter will all want their names in the hat.
Six bowlers all with specific skill sets, who will look to make amends for the previous campaign. With the imminent appointment of a new bowling coach too, expect to see a Nottinghamshire attack with the bit between their teeth when Lancashire arrive at Trent Bridge for the first LV= County Championship match on 6 April.
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