Chappell signing on two-year deal will add to county quick bowling choice next year
DERBYSHIRE have signed fast bowler Zak Chappell on a two-year deal.
Chappell, 25, has established himself as a reliable all-formats bowler during spells with Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire, claiming more than 100 career wickets.
Adding him to the quick bowling armoury for next season is another statement of intent by the county – one that says the progress made this season is not enough, that they intend to follow up on it next time.
On paper – assuming his successful recovery from an elbow operation – Derbyshire will also have Suranga Lakmal to add to their battery of quicks for the second year of his contract next season.
Chappell’s best firstclass bowling of 6-44 came for Leicestershire against Northamptonshire in 2018.
The right-armer claimed 11 wickets in this year’s Vitality Blast at an average of 11.90.
He has spent much of this season with County Championship Division One side Gloucestershire, on loan from Nottinghamshire.
He had left Leicestershire for Notts in 2018 and was an England Lions tourist to India in 2019 but his career has not, as yet, progressed as well as he would have hoped and now comes the opportunity of a fresh start with a county at which he can be expected to play a full role.
Head of cricket, Mickey Arthur, said: “Zak is an incredibly skilled bowler and a great addition to our attack for all formats.
“He probably hasn’t played the amount of cricket he’s wanted to in recent years but he’s kept developing and worked hard on his game.
“Now he has the chance to show what he can do as part of our bowling unit.
“Signing Zak is a big move for the club, as it gives us even more competition and quality within our ranks for the 2023 season and beyond.” Chappell said: “When I heard of Derbyshire’s interest, I jumped at the chance to come and work with a top-class coaching unit in Mickey Arthur and Ajmal Shahzad.
“Last season, I played a good amount across all formats and I feel I’m at a point now where I need to be playing top-level cricket week in, week out.
“Signing for Derbyshire gives me the chance to do that.
“Derbyshire have an ambitious project with plenty of quality in the squad.
“You can see the direction Mickey wants to take the club in and that really attracted me.”
Derbyshire supporters may recall a young Chappell in opposition.
He made his debut for Leicestershire against them as a 19-year-old at Derby in 2015 and, going in at number 10, made 96 from 122 balls. It remains his career-best score. In June, he took 3-28 for Notts against Derbyshire in the Blast at Trent Bridge.
The appointment of a coach with Arthur’s international pedigree was a coup for Derbyshire and Dal explained how he has raised standards in such a short space of time.
“Mickey has been absolutely outstanding,” he said.
“From day one in the post, when I think he was still in his hotel in Sri Lanka, he was calling us and talking through the roles he was pencilling in for us.
“It allowed players to go into the winter and set objectives.
“I knew I was going to bat at seven and have an important role with the ball so I could hit the ground running come April. It was massive for me and all the players.
“Mickey has been the one key change that we needed. He has the utmost passion for the game and for the club and that feeds through to the players.
“He’s such a presence and with an international head on his shoulders, it’s great for us to be able to tap into the knowledge he’s got.
“He’s so calm in how he delivers the messages and so clear in how he does it. Nothing gets lost in translation, there are no blurred lines.”
Like a lot of counties, Derbyshire have lost key players to The Hundred but Dal insists the team can rise to the challenge, starting against Essex at Chelmsford tomorrow.
“It’s something we are eagerly looking forward to and, hopefully, we can put some good performances together because, like any competition, you can get on a bit of a roll and things can change very quickly,” he added.