30 Mar 2013

Nottinghamshire defend Cowan signing ahead of Ashes

2:09 pm on 30 March 2013

The English cricket county side Nottinghamshire has defended its decision to sign Australian test batsman Ed Cowan in the lead-up to the Ashes.

Cowan, 30, will link up with Nottinghamshire next month to play in their first seven County Championship matches and eight limited-overs games.

The stint should allow the test opener valuable time to acclimatise to English conditions before the Ashes starts at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire's home ground, on July 10.

The Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell admits Cowan's recruitment may not be ideal from England's perspective but says the batsman would likely have toured with Australia A in June anyway.