Derbyshire bring in Ian Bell as batting consultant

Bell replaces Mal Loye in the role and joins Mickey Arthur in looking to improve the county's fortunes

Derbyshire have signed up Ian Bell as a batting consultant for the first two months of the season.

The former England batter joins a new-look coaching setup, with Mickey Arthur preparing for his first summer as the county's head of cricket. He replaces Mal Loye, who has left the club.

Bell's coaching career to date has included a stint with Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash and another with Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred. He has also worked with England Under-19s.

"As a young coach, the opportunity to learn from one of the biggest names in the game was massive," said Bell. "Mickey has big plans for the future of Derbyshire, and I'm really excited to be part of it for the next couple of months.

"I had my first session with the team yesterday and there's a lot of talent there. Now it's about making sure that it's always on show across all formats. Between them, our batters have more than 100 all-formats centuries and there's the ability to make big scores, my job is to help them to continue progressing and perform at their best."

As well as Arthur, Derbyshire have added international prowess for this season by bringing in Pakistan opener Shan Masood as an overseas player, with former Sri Lanka seamer Suranga Lakmal also onboard.

Arthur added: "Last season, the batting was an aspect of the squad's game that needed to improve, so Ian's arrival gives us a real boost, he has considerable international experience and that will help us continue to drive the standards we’ve set for the team."