Northants Steelbacks skipper Alex Wakely cannot believe the calibre of players he has at his disposal in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast.
In the 26-year-old’s previous sprint-format appearance, in August 2013, he was lifting the trophy as the Steelbacks hammered Surrey in the final at Edgbaston.
Now, having missed the entire 2014 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Wakely will skipper a side that contains the likes of Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi,Rory Kleinveldt,David Willey,Richard Levi,Josh Cobb and Steven Crook.
And he cannot wait to do so, with the Steelbacks opening their North Group campaign with a trip to face Durham Jets on May 15.
“We have got a very exciting side. Our side is more geared to one-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket,” Wakely told ecb.co.uk.
“We have got a very balanced side. We have got batters batting down at number six, seven that can hit the ball out of the park, and also right from the top. I am pretty excited about it.
TUG OF WAR VOTE! Which Afridi hashtag do you prefer - #BoomBoom or #BeAfridi ? Get voting: http://t.co/cppBjgV1Qu pic.twitter.com/NCEnYFzAaJ
— NatWest T20 Blast (@NatWestT20Blast) April 29, 2015
“We have got a small squad so injuries are going to have to go our way, there is no denying that. But if we can pick our full-strength side all the time, I think we will be pretty competitive.
“Dave Willey is one of the best, if not the best, all-rounders in the country in Twenty20 cricket.
“Afridi is a massive signing for us, he is going to bring in massive crowds, loads of buzz around him, loads of sixes, loads of wickets.
“They are the kind of players you want to watch. You want to watch the big international players play. You want the best players in the world playing.
“For me as captain, to have them at my disposal, is amazing.”
Afridi is the headline name in the Steelbacks line-up after joining a long list of international superstars in signing up to play in the Blast.
"He's the ultimate competitor & I'm excited." Which T20 superstar is #Steelbacks skipper @AlexWakely1 talking about? https://t.co/rnbFyyC3ZW
— NatWest T20 Blast (@NatWestT20Blast) April 29, 2015
A big-hitting right-hander and attacking leg-spinner who has made over 500 appearances for Pakistan, the 35-year-old is sure to attract the crowds during his six-game stay at Wantage Road.
As well as his attributes with bat and ball, Afridi is currently his country’s T20 skipper and Wakely is hoping to learn from the veteran.
Wakely said: “We have got very lucky over the years that I have been here…Cameron White captained Australia. People for me to learn from, lean on and turn to.
“Having Afridi coming over too, from what I have heard he is the ultimate competitor. Apparently he doesn’t train too much! But on the pitch apparently he is the ultimate person. The kind of person you want on side.
“As a captain, I am going to turn to him, talk to him and learn as much as I can.”
On the signing of Afridi, he added: “In Twenty20 you want to play in front of a full house all the time. Northants are pretty lucky, 5,000 to 6,000 people, that we fill it out most of the time. It does feel like we are playing in front of a lot more than that sometimes.
TUG OF WAR VOTE! Who wins: #BlastNorth or #BlastSouth ?! Get voting: http://t.co/cppBjgV1Qu pic.twitter.com/iiHGFpYBhg
— NatWest T20 Blast (@NatWestT20Blast) April 17, 2015
"Afridi will bring in different people, I know in the Asian community there is a big buzz building about it.
“Hopefully we are going to have a full house all the time."
Northants, without the leadership of injured Wakely, struggled to perform in their defence of the trophy last term, failing to progress past the group stages.
Wakely is targeting an upturn in fortunes this time around, saying: “Our target is to aim for a home quarter-final.
“Obviously you want to win the competition, everyone wants to win the competition, but our number-one call is to get a home quarter-final, and then hopefully momentum takes you further and you go on and win it.”