Duanne Olivier: Derbyshire sign South Africa fast bowler for 2018 season

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Duanne Olivier's first Test appearance in England for South Africa was in July 2017 at Trent Bridge

Derbyshire have signed South African fast bowler Duanne Olivier as their other main overseas player for 2018.

Following the signing of New Zealand international spinner Mitchell Santner for the second half of the summer, they will have Olivier for the first half.

He will be available for the first seven County Championship matches.

Olivier, 25, also hopes to play in Derbyshire's entire One-Day Cup campaign, subject to the approval of the Cricket South Africa board.

"He comes highly recommended," said Derbyshire's cricket advisor Kim Barnett, the former county captain and England opening batsman.

"We identified new-ball bowling as an area we wanted to strengthen, especially for the first half of the season in red and white ball cricket.

"He is a tall, quick bowler who is keen to prove himself and he will give us another quality option."

Transvaal-born Olivier, who made his international debut in 2017, has has taken 17 Test wickets for South Africa in five Tests, seven of them in England on the 2017 tour, in which he played in the third Test at Trent Bridge and the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

Overall, he has taken 284 first-class wickets in 72 matches, at 22.04, including 16 five-wicket hauls - and has spent this winter in Bloemfontein, playing for Knights in the Sunfoil Series, as well as making two Test appearances against Bangladesh.