Proteas quick Duanne Olivier joins Derbyshire for county stint

South African fast bowler Duanne Olivier has been roped in by England county heavyweights Derbyshire in Division 1 for the upcoming Championship. Derbyshire has signed the speedster as an overseas player for the first half of the 2018 season. The 25-year-old will represent the side in the first half of the County Championship and the whole of the Royal London One-Day Cup before Mitchell Santner arrives later in the summer.

Derbyshire has previously announced the signing of Mitchell Santner as an overseas player for the T20 competition and the second half of the Championship campaign and the release of several young players.

Olivier will bring in a much-needed confidence

Oliver has played five Test matches for the Proteas and is yet to command a settled place in the South Africa side. In the five Tests that he has played, Olivier claimed 17 wickets at an impressive average of just 23.11 apiece. His first-class record also sheds light on the bundles of talent the young gun posses. He has taken 284 wickets at an average of 22.04.

Although he is still learning his trade in white-ball cricket, The South African has claimed the two best List A figures of his career this year. Hailed for his wicket-taking ability combined with mid-innings control, Olivier will be a lethal weapon in Derbyshire’s lineup. With umpteen first-class experience under his belt, the speedster will bring infuse a much-needed confidence in the bowling department.

Derbyshire cricket advisor excited with the signing

Kim Barnett, Derby’s cricket advisor, looked delighted with the acquisition and said, “He comes highly recommended and will offer further depth to our seam attack. “We identified new ball bowling as an area we wanted to strengthen, especially for the first half of the season in red and white ball cricket.

“He is a tall, quick bowler who is keen to prove himself and he will give us another quality option with the ball. We look forward to welcoming Duanne to Derbyshire.”