Riki Wessels is looking for more of the same this year after a 2014 that took him from Trent Bridge, to Doha, to Sydney.

No sooner had the 29-year old been presented with his Nottinghamshire Player of the Year award, he was off on a journey that began in Doha and ended with an appearance in the final of the Big Bash League.

“I had a last minute call asking if I’d be interested in playing for the Lashing’s World XI in a prestigious match in Qatar,” he recalls.

“It was a terrific experience, although it was pretty much a case of flight out, play the game and fly back, but to play in the same team as BC Lara was pretty special.

“We played against an Asian XI with Jayasuriya, Tamim and Yasir Arafat amongst their line-up and there was a huge crowd cheering throughout.”

An even more important call was waiting when he returned. Having already been inked in to play some games for the Sydney Sixers, an injury to Dwayne Smith meant he was needed for the whole tournament.

Whilst his father, Kepler, had played plenty of Test and first class cricket in Australia, it was all a very new experience for Wessels junior.

“I just had to get myself out there as quickly as I could and when I turned up for the first game at the SCG I actually didn’t know where the changing room was, which was a bit awkward,” he said.

“I hadn’t really realised quite how many hundreds my father had scored in Australia but it seemed wherever we went he was on every honours board.

“It was quite special to be around Brett Lee as he wound down his playing career. He was as level-headed as you could imagine going into what he knew would be his last couple of games in his last ever season.

“We also had the likes of Smith, Starc, Haddin and Hazlewood all popping in between the Tests to see us and come round for net sessions. It was all quite different for me but quite special at the same time.”

The Sixers, with Riki and Notts team-mate Michael Lumb on board, unluckily lost a very close final

“It always hurts to be on the losing side but it was a great game of cricket; a great advertisement for the competition.”

Wessels is looking to kick on from a very happy 12 month period, which also saw him awarded his county cap.

“That was a very proud moment for me, to be awarded my county cap last year. It was something I was really striving to achieve.”

 

The high-octane excitement of the NatWest T20 Blast returns to Trent Bridge in May as Notts Outlaws hope to break the 10,000 barrier for the arrival of reigning champions Birmingham Bears on Friday 15 May.


Adult tickets are available at a special price of £10 and further discounts in place for under 16s (£5), under21s (£7) and senior citizens (£7) when buying in advance. Make Trent Bridge a firm fixture for your Friday nights and secure your seats now.