County Cricket Round-Up - 10th January

County Cricket Round-Up - 10th January

Shivnarine Chanderpaul could prove to one of the winter's shrewder overseas signings.

©REUTERS/Philip Brown. Picture Supplied by Action Images

Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen has called the club’s capture of West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul “a huge coup”. 

“It’s fantastic. He’s ranked the second best batsman in the world at the moment and it is a huge coup for the club,” Madsen said. “I’ve known for a little while that we have been talking to him and when the chairman confirmed to me on Tuesday that he had signed I was absolutely delighted.” 

The 38 year-old was unveiled as the county’s overseas player for all three competitions yesterday and is expected to be available for the entirety of the 2013 season. He has also agreed terms for 2014 and Derbyshire will have first right of refusal for 2015.

West Indies have no Test cricket in their schedule for the whole of the English summer, meaning that Chanderpaul, who is no longer involved in the West Indies limited-overs set-up, should be able to play every match for Derbyshire if they wish.

The club are also still pursuing Martin Guptill, who had a stint at the County Ground last season, with a view to him filling the second overseas berth for the Friends Life t20 competition.

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Middlesex have signed long-term Nottinghamshire overseas professional Adam Voges as their overseas player for the 2013 Friends Life t20 competition. Voges is a prolific Twenty20 cricketer and has scored more than 2500 runs in the format at an average of more than 30 and a strike rate of over 130.

Voges said, "I am thrilled to have signed with Middlesex to play for them in this season's t20 campaign. To have the opportunity to play in front of the country's biggest t20 crowds at a venue like Lord's is an exciting prospect, and I'm looking forward to helping the Panthers succeed in this year's competition."

He later took to Twitter to thank Nottinghamshire fans for their support during his long spell at Trent Bridge.

"Also a big thanks to the Notts fans. Enjoyed every minute of my time there,” he added.

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Sussex, in conjunction with the ECB, have announced their Academy intake for the 2013 season. Nine players have been retained from the 2012 intake, with wicket-keeper Leo Cammish and opening batsman Ben Shoare added for the first time.

Among the nine retained are Harry Finch and Callum Jackson, who have both been named in the England Under-19 squad for the forthcoming tour of South Africa which begins later this month.

All eleven players are given a bespoke yearly programme covering physical, technical, mental, tactical and life skills. These are delivered by Sussex’s professional coaching staff, primarily on a one-to-one basis, with all programmes overseen by Cricket Performance Manager and Academy Director Keith Greenfield at the County Ground in Hove and the Sutton Winson Academy Ground in Blackstone.

Greenfield congratulated the eleven players and said, “We are looking forward to continuing the work we have started with the majority of this group. We’re excited by the addition of Ben and Leo and how far we can progress them all and the whole group as players and, as importantly, people and leaders”.

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Alviro Petersen has agreed to a longer than expected spell with Somerset for 2013. The South African was only due to play until the start of the Friends Life t20, which begins at the end of June, but has agreed to be a part of the Somerset side for that competition as well.

Petersen, who recently stepped down as captain of his South Africa franchise, the Highveld Lions, after leading them in October’s Champions League T20, said "I am very pleased that I will now be able to stay on at Somerset and play Twenty20. Over the years they have done well in the competition and I would like to think that my contributions will help them to lift the trophy."

Petersen has a respectable average of 28.08 from 72 Twenty20 matches and usually opens the batting - a position normally occupied at Somerset by Marcus Trescothick and Craig Kieswetter.

Pakistani left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman was recently confirmed as Somerset’s overseas player for the final part of the 2013 season, so, apart from the possibility of signing another overseas player for the Friends Life t20, Somerset have completed their line-up of overseas professionals for the new season.

© Cricket World 2013