Billy Stanlake to join Derbyshire for Vitality Blast

Billy Stanlake, the towering Australia fast bowler, will replace compatriot Kane Richardson as one of Derbyshire's overseas signings for this season's Vitality Blast.

Richardson was recently called into Australia's World Cup squad, leading to him pulling out of his planned Derbyshire stint in order to manage his workload. The club have instead recruited Stanlake - who last year pulled out of a T20 deal with Yorkshire on Cricket Australia's advice - for their Blast campaign alongside New Zealand allrounder Logan van Beek.

"Billy is an excellent white-ball bowler and with his height and pace, he has the qualities to trouble batsmen in this format," Derbyshire's head of cricket, Dave Houghton, said.

"He's someone we've kept an eye on and we've been impressed by what we've seen. We were disappointed to lose Kane, but I believe we have found a replacement who will not only complement our side, but bring in new skills to keep taking us forward.

"We've seen improvements already this summer and we want to continue that momentum into the Vitality Blast and reward our supporters with good performances."

Standing at over 2m tall and capable of bowling above 90mph, Stanlake has been capped in both white-ball formats for Australia, taking 25 wickets in 17 T20 internationals. He helped Adelaide Strikers win the Big Bash League in 2017-18 and has also featured at the IPL.

His arrival will strengthen the hand of Derbyshire's new T20 coach, Dominic Cork, who has taken over from John Wright looking to replicate their run to the knockout stages in 2017.

"The T20 will come around fast now and I'm looking forward to getting going," Stanlake said. "It'll be my first experience of the tournament, and having spoken to the guys I know how important the competition is.

"It's a good side and a quick, bouncy track at Derby, so I hope to use my skills and contribute to performances out in the middle for Derbyshire."