T20 specialists Andre Russell and Imran Tahir have been signed by Nottinghamshire for the Natwest T20 Blast in England. The duo have been in the sparkling form of late and had great outings in the ICC World T20 2016. Russell went on to continue his good form for his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, as he was among the runs and one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament.
Tahir on the other hand endured a mediocre IPL as he was benched for a majority of the games. However, with the shortest format in question, Tahir is always an asset worth having in the team as he is genuine wicket taker.
Mick Newell, director of Nottinghamshire cricket said that he was quite delighted to have to duo on board for the T20 competition. “We’ve been speaking to both players for a while. It’s been a long term plan. We were keen to get them in and were very happy it’s over the line,” Mick Newell said.. “With his batting, bowling and fielding taken into consideration, Andre is one of the leading T20 players in the world right now, and he keeps proving it at big tournaments.”
“In Andre’s case it’s an added bonus that he’s a very effective fast bowler as well. He’ll hopefully help us put some important wins on the board in the competition before jetting off to the Caribbean Premier League, which is very much the way of it for the global stars these days,” Newell added.
Speaking about Tahir, Newell said that he was a world class bowler. “We’ve seen many times how valuable a world-class leg-spinner can be, in all formats of the game,” said Newell. “Imran enjoyed his time here last year, he wanted to come back, and we’re only too happy for him to do so.Having him available will also allow us to make the most of some of the drier pitches in four-day cricket at the back end of the summer.”