Ant Botha believes something exciting is bubbling at Nottinghamshire Outlaws

The assistant coach feels the reigning Vitality Blast champions are set for a thrilling few years ahead as they continue to develop.

The side has been boosted by a pre-season which has seen a host of last year’s key players sign new contracts.

“It is massive having a settled squad,” he told the Talk of Trent Bridge podcast. “We are trying to shape something special and create a legacy, that takes time.

“Now we have a core group of guys who are moving into another phase. It is extremely exciting.

“The great thing about the group of guys we have right now is that there are guys that can do extremely well at a higher level.

“The journey is just beginning and is by nowhere near finished, something is bubbling.

“We are learning how to win games in four day cricket and how to play.

“They are quite a young group in a four day cricket sense, but they are learning extremely quickly and it could be an exciting stepping stone next year.”

And Botha believes working with the quality on show at Trent Bridge is also an exciting prospect for the club’s coaching staff.

“Making the players reach their potential and to integrate a team together makes it more accountable for us as coaches,” he said.

“These individuals will buy into that and take it to the next level so we can win trophies. It’s a really exciting time.

“It makes us perform better as a coach because we are accountable. We have to live every day and wait for the right opportunity to help these guys develop.

“They have got great potential and it's a lovely environment to work in.”

Winter training has now entered the next phase as Notts step up preparations for the new season.

That sees a shift from technical fine-tuning to indoor nets sessions.

“Before Christmas there was a lot of repair work and technical changes for some of the guys,” addes Botha.

“It was just a case of putting things in place for the next phase and fine-tuning.

“We have got a few ideas on how to keep things nice and fresh and competitive in the right way, but to manage the workloads so they are ready to fire at the right time.

“It's an exciting phase of the winter block and now it is a natural step up.”