Nottinghamshire have moved quickly to replace injured overseas player Peter Siddle with his Australia team-mate Jackson Bird.
The 29-year-old will arrive at Trent Bridge in time to feature in the first 10 matches of the Specsavers County Championship, but is unlikely to feature in limited-overs cricket, with Dan Christian set to add Royal London One-Day Cup duties to his NatWest T20 Blast commitments.
Siddle had been earmarked for a return to Notts before suffering a stress fracture of his back during Australia’s Test series win over New Zealand.
Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell expects Bird, who represented Hampshire last season, to be a like-for-like replacement in the seam department.
“Having a bowler of international quality to spearhead our young seam attack is important for us, so we knew what type of player we wanted to go for,” said Newell.
Our new signing Jackson Bird in action pic.twitter.com/RBTRHObr2L
— Nottinghamshire CCC (@TrentBridge) February 29, 2016
“After Peter got injured, Jackson is the man Australia turned to. He performed very well in that Test match, he’s a similar bowler to Peter in many ways and he was the obvious choice for us in the circumstances.
“Jackson is also very suitable for English conditions, particularly the types of pitches we play on at Trent Bridge.
“Pairing him with Stuart Broad early in the season, with real competition for the other two places, is an exciting combination for us.”
Bird added: “Notts are a really good club and I have heard a lot about them from fellow Australians who have been there before, such as Ed Cowan and Peter Siddle.
“Trent Bridge is a famous English venue and I heard plenty about it when I was living with Andre Adams last year.
“I can’t wait to get over there, get to know the lads and to play my home games at the ground.
“The surfaces in England and at Trent Bridge should suit the way I bowl, so I can’t wait to get started.”
Source: ECB