T20 Blast 2022 | Derbyshire Sign Hayden Kerr replacing injured Suranga Lakmal

Ahead of the T20 Blast 2022, Derbyshire has been hit with a massive blow as former Sri Lankan pacer Suranga Lakmal was ruled out of the season with an elbow injury. The 35-year-old was replaced by the signing of Australian all-rounder Hayden Kerr.

Derbyshire has signed Kerr across all formats until September; much to the team and fan's delight. The left-arm seamer is all cleared to participate in Derbyshire’s first game against Birmingham Bears on 27th May.

Head coach Mickey Arthur reacted to the injury of Lakmal and also shared his opinions on the signing of the Aussie all-rounder. "It's never nice to lose a player, and Suranga has made a positive start to his Derbyshire career, but we've moved quickly to sign a strong overseas player for all formats," Arthur was quoted by BBC.

"Hayden is a very promising talent who has the ability with bat and ball that will complement our squad. His season in the Big Bash was fantastic and he will be a huge asset for us in the upcoming Vitality Blast and beyond," the coach added.

Kerr came to the limelight during his stint with Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL), where he won consecutive titles with them in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. He also emerged as the 2nd highest wicket-taker of the tournament after picking 25 wickets.

The New South Wales cricketer also has the highest score of 98, which he scored in the 2021-2022 BBL final against Adelaide Strikers. His ability to bat makes him a lethal option for Derbyshire going into the tournament.

Ahead of his joining, Kerr said, "This is a really exciting move for me. Playing in England is an ambition of mine and the chance to do it in all formats is something I'm really looking forward to."

"There's a really good coaching setup at Derbyshire, working with Mickey Arthur, Ajmal Shahzad and Ian Bell will really help my development, as well as the chance to learn from the more experienced players in the squad. I'm coming off a positive season with the Sydney Sixers, and hopefully I can keep that going and win some games for Derbyshire," he concluded. 

The thing to look at is Kerr's time to adapt to the conditions and deliver what he is known to do. Alongside the BBL trophy he won with the Sixers, he was also named their ‘Player of the Year’, and this is something he would love to replicate at the Derby-based county.