Sri Lanka all-rounder Jeevan Mendis has signed as Derbyshire’s overseas player for the first half of the 2017 season.
Mendis is the Club’s second overseas signing for next summer and will be available for all forms before the arrival of South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir, after the ICC Champions Trophy in June.
The 33-year-old will feature in the first-half of the Specsavers County Championship and also the group and knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup, which are scheduled to take place from April to June.
The experienced leg-spin bowler has claimed 225 first-class wickets at an average of 26, in addition to a further 170 wickets in white ball cricket.
With the bat, he has scored 6,397 first-class runs at 36, including 15 centuries and an unbeaten double-hundred. He has also hit over 4,500 runs in the white ball formats.
He has gone on to compete in 70 fixtures for Sri Lanka since making his debut in 2010.
Director of Cricket, Kim Barnett said: “Jeevan is another highly experienced international spin bowler who will strengthen our squad for the first part of the season.
“He is an experienced match winner who will also help our talented youngsters, and we’re excited to have Jeevan with us. We hope he can play an important role as we look for a good start to both competitions.”
Mendis added: “I’m excited about the opportunity to play county cricket for Derbyshire next summer. I am looking forward to meeting the players and helping the Club make a good start to the new season.”
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