Two-time winner Wakely believes 'explosive' Steelbacks can be as good as 'perfect' 2013 T20 squad this summer

Wakely captained that Northants team to finals day glory at Edgbaston, with the Steelbacks cruising past Essex in the last four and then annihilating Surrey in the final, hammering the star-studded Oval side by 102 runs.

It was a Northants team packed with batting power, with the likes of David Willey, Australian import Cameron White, South African Richard Levi, Steven Crook, Kyle Coetzer, Ben Duckett and Wakely himself.

Then there was a perfectly balanced bowling attack featuring the likes of Lee Daggett, Crook, Mohammed Azharullah, Willey and off-spinner James Middlebrook.

The Steelbacks were to reach the final again two years later, before winning the competition for a second time in 2016, all under the stewardship of Wakely - who believes the class of 2013 were the pick of a pretty impressive bunch.

The Steelbacks struggled in last season's competition, but with the return of Pakistan all-rounder Faheem Ashraf for the entire group stage, and the signing of West Indies T20 skipper Kieron Pollard for eight games.

They have also recruited Ireland international Paul Stirling for when Pollard is not around, and Wakely feels the County, under the stewardship of another two-time competition winner in Josh Cobb, could be in for another successful year.

Adding Pollard and Stirling to a batting line-up that already includes the big-hitting trio of Cobb, Levi and Adam Rossington, as well as Wakely himself, is a mouth-watering proposition.

Add the likes of Ricardo Vasconcelos, Rob Keogh, Gareth Berg, Ben Sanderson, Nathan Buck and Graeme White into the mix along with others, and the Steelbacks are certainly looking strong.

"If I look at our Twenty20 squad now, I think it is almost as good as when we won it the first year," said Wakely.

"In 2016, I don't think we had as good a squad but we just had some serious individuals who performed really well, but in 2013 the squad was perfect."

And he also believes the six-hitting power that has been added to the group is key, adding: "The game has changed since that win in 2013 though.

"You could get away with a bit more tippy-tappy cricket back then, but now it's not, it is all about explosive power.

"With Cobby as captain, I know he has been focusing on that and they have been very selective and there is a few different roles for people.

"For instance, my role might be slightly different now, and there is talk about Adam Rossington and whether he moves around the order.

"But we are basically gearing up towards having power, because it is all about boundaries.

"It is about being fit in the field, taking your catches and then scoring runs and hitting boundaries."