Derbyshire sign Ben McDermott for 2020 white-ball competitions

The Hobart Hurricanes wicketkeeper follows compatriot Sean Abbott in signing an overseas deal with the club for the T20 Blast, and will also be available for the One-Day Cup campaign

Australian wicketkeeper Ben McDermott has signed for Derbyshire to play next season's white-ball competitions.

Having averaged 38.9 across three Big Bash seasons with Hobart Hurricanes, the 24-year-old made his international T20 debut in 2018 and has gone on to become a regular middle-order presence in the national side.

In addition to playing the One-Day Cup, McDermott will join international teammate Sean Abbott in a Falcons T20 side that reached its maiden Finals Day in the 2019 season.

"This is a really exciting opportunity for me and I can't wait to test myself in new conditions with Derbyshire," McDermott said.

"The team did really well last season and I'm looking forward to helping them build. I love the short format stuff, but I've found good form in the 50-over competitions back home and I want to bring that to Derbyshire next summer."

It had initially been thought that overseas players would not be permitted to take part in the One-Day Cup next year as part of its rebranding as a development competition, given its timing alongside The Hundred. However, that plan was reversed; otherwise, any overseas player not involved in The Hundred would have been left without cricket through a large chunk of mid-season.

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As both McDermott and Abbott have been part of Australian squads for this winter's home T20 matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, their availability for the county will depend on any involvement on the country's ODI and T20 tour of England in July.

However, after deals with Australian seamers Kane Richardson and Billy Stanlake fell through last season, Derbyshire's director of cricket Dave Houghton is confident that his latest additions can play a pivotal role in the county developing on its recent short-form successes.

"Ben comes to us with a good reputation and he is exactly what we are looking for in T20: a dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman who can bat throughout the order," he said.

"In the 50-over competition his batting will be of great benefit and he gives us another option with the gloves.

"Ben's capable of taking the attack to the opposition as we look to build on white ball performances in 2019."

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