Derbyshire aim high as Arthur is in as new coach
HEAD OF CRICKET TO START AFTER LEAVING SRI LANKA
DERBYSHIRE have turned to internationally renowned coach Mickey Arthur in a bid to help them progress.
The 53-year-old has agreed a three-year contract as head of cricket and will join up with Derbyshire when he completes his contract as Sri Lanka’s coach after a twomatch Test series against the West Indies, which starts on Sunday.
He replaces David Houghton, who departed at the end of last season.
“Mickey is one of the most highlyregarded coaches in world cricket and this is a key appointment for the club ahead of an important winter period,” said Derbyshire chairman Ian Morgan.
“Throughout this recruitment process, Mickey has understood our heritage as a county but also matched our ambition with a desire to make a positive impact at Derbyshire.
“We want to move forward from last season. We’ve got a talented group of players and with a new head of cricket bringing a fresh approach, it is an exciting time for our members and supporters.”
Arthur said: “This is the start of an exciting project at Derbyshire, with many young players, and I’m really excited to be a part of that and to bring my vision to the club.
“It’s a new challenge and one which I’m eager to get stuck into and lead this club to success. There’s a good squad at Derbyshire and I want us to play a positive style of cricket.
“We won’t fear any team and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve for our supporters.”
It is a bold, ambitious move by the county who, in playing terms, largely hit rock bottom in 2021.
Derbyshire finished bottom of the LV Insurance County Championship, ninth in their Royal London One-Day Cup group and eighth in the Vitality Blast North Group.
Key players Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Matt Critchley have left the club and wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein has had to retire as a result of recurring concussion problems. It leaves a relatively thin squad but also one with a decent number of promising young players, especially in the bowling department, and experience in the batting order, with Billy Godleman, Wayne Madsen and Leus Du Plooy.
The challenge for South African Arthur, who retired as a player in 2001, will be to bring his undoubted skills to a county set-up for the first time. Most of his coaching career has been at international level.
He spent nine years at the start of his coaching career with first-class teams at home before taking over as South Africa coach in 2005.
Arthur oversaw a successful period for South Africa between 2005 and 2010, a spell highlighted by Test series wins over Australia, India and Pakistan.
While coaching Australia, he became a naturalised Australian citizen.
He then guided Pakistan to their first ICC Champions Trophy in 2017.
Throughout this recruitment process, Mickey has understood our heritage as a county. Ian Morgan
While he was head coach from 2016, they also became the number one-ranked T20 side in the world.
He had been Sri Lanka coach since February 2020 but has not seen his contract renewed. He oversaw a young squad and guided their recent T20 World Cup campaign, in which they won five matches.
In domestic cricket, Arthur twice led Eastern Cape to T20 finals in South Africa, while he enjoyed a spell with Western Australia prior to securing the Australia national job and has coached a number of franchise teams across Asia, including Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.