Peter Siddle: Stuart Broad key to Nottinghamshire move

Peter Siddle says England Twenty20 captain and new county team-mate Stuart Broad played a "big part" in him signing for Nottinghamshire.

Australia seamer and Ashes winner Siddle, 29, will play county cricket for the first time this summer.

Siddle's arrival in the UK was delayed by visa issues, but he hopes to make his debut against Middlesex on Sunday.

"Broady was the middleman between [director of cricket] Mick Newell and myself," he told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"It all got sorted out on the outside after that. Once Huss [Australia batsman and overseas player David Hussey] finished up and Notts were looking for a bowler, it all just played out beautifully.

"I'd previously spoken to my good friend David Saker, England bowling coach, last year during the Manchester Test match and said I wanted to play [in England].

"He went and chatted to the England boys. Broady and Swanny [Graeme Swann] were very accommodating and helped a lot, making my decision easy.

"I'm also very close friends of Dave Hussey and Darren Pattinson, so I've heard a lot about the club over many years.

"To finally get my chance to come over and play somewhere spoken very highly of is a great opportunity."

Victorian Siddle helped Australia whitewash England 5-0 in the winter's Ashes series with 16 wickets and has claimed 188 Test victims at 29.37.

He was expected to play in Nottinghamshire's season-opening 45-run victory over Lancashire in the County Championship at Trent Bridge, which finished on Wednesday.

"The visa got stuck and they had a point where they lost it and it finally turned up," said Siddle.

"To play at Lord's for Notts on Sunday would be a great place to debut, even if it hasn't been the happiest of hunting grounds for myself and the Australia team when we've played there."

Siddle claimed match figures of 8-135 in Australia's 14-run defeat in the first Ashes Test against England last summer.

"You always want to go to grounds where you feel comfortable, and this is a very nice ground to play on," said Siddle.

"The scenery is great, the ground, the wickets. It all plays its part and you want to be be happy with where you're playing."