Head of Cricket, Dave Houghton has confirmed that Australia international Ben McDermott has arrived in the country, and has said the wicketkeeper-batsman could play first-class cricket, in addition to his white ball commitments.
McDermott joins Derbyshire in good form, after hitting 402 runs in the recent Big Bash, while also hitting a brilliant century for Australia ‘A’ in a red ball fixture against India in December.
In the 2020/21 Sheffield Shield, McDermott scored 355 runs in just seven innings, averaging 59.16 on his way to four half-centuries, while he also scored a classy 68 in his most recent Marsh Cup appearance.
McDermott was initially stated to be available for the upcoming Vitality Blast and Royal London Cup, but Houghton, has said there could be scope for the 26-year-old, who has more than 2,000 first class runs and two centuries to his name, to feature in the LV= County Championship this season.
“Should we want to use Ben in our four-day games, we can. He arrived on Friday morning,” he told BBC Radio Derby.
“We will get him down and around the team, but he’s keen to play first-class cricket, so that’s a bonus for us. It also means that Dustin Melton, who is contracted as an overseas player will potentially be able to play more games of cricket. That was a situation we were going to have to manage well with both Ben and Billy [Stanlake] here.”
As McDermott arrives, another overseas player has been forced to leave the club due to injury. Australia international Billy Stanlake had been due to represent the club in all formats, but has now been ruled out for the season due to a stress fracture in his back.
Houghton admits he’s disappointed that Derbyshire have lost a player of Stanlake’s quality, although the he plans to give the developing attack more opportunity in his absence, while also offering an update in the club’s recruitment plans.
“When you sign a player of Billy’s ability, you’re so looking forward to everything you’re going to get for the year, so for him to get injured and be gone within one game, is really disappointing,” he added.
“I would says it’s even more disappointing for Billy than it is for us, because he’s been trying to get across and play county cricket two or three times now, and this was the first time he was able to sign a contract and come over, but it didn’t last very long, sadly.
“I hope it’s not the last we see of Billy, we will keep in touch and when he’s fit and playing cricket again, we can revisit it.
“We’ve made a lot of enquiries and calls, but just looking at our side, I like our young attack, which might be inexperienced but has lots of ability. I quite like the idea of completing the four-day competition using our own players.
“Now, we’re looking to find someone who can enhance our T20 side, rather than a full-season replacement.”
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