Mendis signs as Derbyshire pin faith in legspin

Sri Lankan legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis has signed for Derbyshire for the first half of the 2017 season.

Mendis' arrival continues the emphasis on legspin for next season with Mendis due to be replaced after the ICC Champions Trophy at the end of June by South Africa's experienced leggie Imran Tahir.

He will feature in the first-half of the Specsavers County Championship and also the group and knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup.

Mendis has played 70 limited-overs matches for Sri Lanka since making his debut in 2010. Derbyshire's director of cricket, Kim Barnett, said: "He is an experienced match-winner who will also help our talented youngsters."

Meanwhile, John Sadler, who was Derbyshire coach during a disastrous 2016 campaign, which included a winless Championship campaign in Division Two, has left the county by mutual consent.

Sadler's departure became likely after Barnett announced a comprehensive restructuring of the coaching department. John Wright, the former India and New Zealand coach, has already been named as a specialist T20 coach - the first such appointment in county cricket.