Footscray strengthens its attack with a Big Bash League and state bowler

Footscray has strengthened its attack and batting depth ahead of the new Premier Cricket season with the arrival of a Big Bash and former NSW spinner.

Footscray has secured a Big Bash League and First Class spinner.

Sydney Thunder and former NSW off-spinner Arjun Nair is moving to Melbourne and will call Merv Hughes Oval home for the 2023-24 Premier Cricket season.

Nair has played 58 games for the Thunder, snaring 22 wickets, and made five First Class appearances for NSW, taking four wickets and another 20 scalps in 15 List A matches.

In 14 matches for Fairfield-Liverpool in NSW Premier Cricket last season, he claimed 46 wickets, including two hauls of seven, and hit 289 runs.

The 25-year-old also made nine appearances for Western Suburbs in Queensland Premier Cricket, taking 15 wickets at 13.07.

Arjun Nair in action for Sydney Thunder.

He will provide variety for the Bulldogs, alongside quicks Jake Reed, Umair Butt, Max Birthisel, Tim Hughes and Ben Roosenboom.

Footscray coach Dale McDonald revealed skipper Travis Dean had played a key role in securing Nair’s signature.

“Sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know and Travis got wind of it through his contacts at Cricket Victoria and we started the conversation,” McDonald said.

“We were in a pretty good condition given we’ve had a couple of retirements, so to get him as a spinner but he’s also a top-order batter, is very exciting for the club.

“We had Russy who bowled a bit of slow stuff and Jay Vine played in the Firsts all of last year but when you have a guy like Arjun Nair come along, you’re not going to knock it back, you’d be negligent if you did.

“He’s a frontline spinner, without being disrespectful to Viney, he’s still only 23-24 and has a lot to learn, and Arjun will come in as our spin coach and be able to teach him a few tricks.

Arjun Nair in action for Fairfield Liverpool.

“From all accounts, everyone has seen him in the Big Bash and that’s obviously very different, everyone we’ve spoken to he’s a really handy bat as well.”

Butt was Footscray’s leading wicket-taker last with 34 scalps at an average of 19.88, ranked third in Premier Cricket.

Vine and Birthisel were next best with 18 scalps apiece as the Bulldogs took the fourth most wickets in the competition but conceded the fourth most runs.

Nair will take part in the Northern Territory Strike League and Brisbane T20 tournament before arriving for pre-season.

McDonald is confident the Merv Hughes Oval pitch will suit the new addition.

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“The pitch spins pretty well and the pace of the wicket is pretty good as well, not all spinners want slow turners,” he said.

“It’s been rated as one of the best wickets in the competition in terms of a batting point of view and Arjun likes a bit of pace in the wicket and given he turns the ball quiet well it gives them less time to react.”

Footscray has had a busy off-season following the departures of Dean Russ and Dan Sartori with as many as 12 new players across the grades.

VTCA Paxino Medallist Mickey Hay has arrived and Joel Brett and Sam Harris have returned from injury.