Jade Dernbach joins Derbyshire on loan after limited role with Surrey

Former England seamer seeking game-time ahead of Hundred stint with London Spirit

Dernbach, 35, played 58 limited-overs internationals for England between 2011 and 2014, and captained Surrey in the Blast in 2018 and 2019 but has struggled with injuries over the last two years. While Surrey are missing the Currans on England duty, and Liam Plunkett and James Taylor through injury, they have backed 23-year-old Gus Atkinson as their first-choice death bowler in recent weeks ahead of Dernbach.

Dernbach did not play a first-team game in 2020 and has played only twice in this season’s Blast, conceding 40 runs in the three overs he has bowled. He is due to play for London Spirit in the Hundred later this month and will see the loan as a chance to get match-ready after so little game time.

Derbyshire need to win all four of their remaining fixtures to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals, and have been suffering an injury crisis that has reduced them to their bare bones.

Seamers Sam Conners, Dustin Melton and Nick Potts are all injured, while Nils Priestley and Ben Aitchison are both returning from recent knocks, and allrounders Anuj Dal, Alex Hughes and middle-order batter Wayne Madsen are also out. Conor McKerr has played seven group games on loan but has been recalled by Surrey, meaning that Dernbach has made the same journey up to the East Midlands.

Dominic Cork, Derbyshire’s T20 coach, said: “Jade’s experience in Twenty20 cricket speaks for itself, and he will give us a different option with the ball. Our young bowlers have performed brilliantly so far, and George Scrimshaw and Fynn Hudson-Prentice will be able to learn even more working with a seasoned pro in Jade.

“With the injuries we have in the squad and Conor returning down South, Jade will come straight into our squad to face Worcestershire and I’d like to thank Alec Stewart and Surrey for working with us to arrange this loan.”