Stuart Broad has described it as “an honour” to be handed the Nottinghamshire number eight shirt as Paul Franks announced his retirement from the first class game.
Broad, who is soon to depart for the United Arab Emirates with England, believes Nottinghamshire’s young cricketers can learn a huge amount from their second team captain, a role the 36-year-old is to continue.
“Fransky has been a huge legend at Notts for many years, since he burst onto the scene as a youngster that led the bowling attack at the age of 18,” said Broad.
“He’s been around for all my Notts career and it’s sad to see him retire.
“But you can see from the success the second team have had under his guidance that he’s got a lot to offer Notts and a lot to offer the game.
“It’s always a tough decision to hang the boots up, but it’s a new chapter for him and it’s an honour that he’s chosen to pass the number eight shirt on to me.
“There’s a few queries about where his locker’s going, I think Samit’s after that, but it’s a pleasure to get the shirt and a nice gesture for him to present it to me.
“He knows I wear number eight for England and that it’s my lucky number and we’ve had a bit of banter about it down the years.
“It looks quite nice actually, I’m looking forward to getting it on next year.”
Broad has shared a cricket field with Franks as both a teammate and an opponent, and the England paceman says the 36-year-old’s competitive streak and passionate attitude towards playing for Notts is what has set him apart over two decades.
“He has always been a fine competitor and there will be a few county pros sleeping a bit easier now he’s retired,” said Broad.
“He put everything into it on the field, he was always desperate for Notts to win. You need competitive characters like him around a team.
“He also knows a lot about the traditions of Notts cricket.
“You’ve got to remember that experienced players and coaches are where disciplines within a team come from.
“Someone who has had success, including two championship wins, is someone the young guys can learn from.
“The second team managed to win the championship trophy this year and they’ll be looking to capture that sort of form again next year.”
The 2015 season has seen dramatic last-gasp four day victories, thrilling limited-overs contests and an historic Investec Ashes Test, all in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.
Next season, we’d wager, will be no less enthralling and frankly we’d hate for you to miss out.