Dilshan signs for English county Derbyshire

Sydney, March 17 (IANS) England's county cricket club Derbyshire on Tuesday signed veteran Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan for two spells this summer.

The 38-year-old will replace New Zealand's Martin Guptill as their overseas player in June and return in early August for the rest of the season. Derbyshire performance director Graeme Welch said the signing was a real coup.

"It demonstrates our growing reputation within the game. Dilshan is a proven match-winner who has shown this time and time again on the world stage," Welch was quoted as saying by BBC.

Dilshan has played 87 Tests, scoring 5,492 runs at an average of 40.98, 313 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 62 Twenty20 Internationals for Sri Lanka.

"His record speaks for itself and he brings a wealth of experience across all formats to the dressing room. He is also committed to helping our younger lads during his stay," said Welch.

Dilshan is currently with the Sri Lanka side that has reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup and was also a key member of the team that won the 2014 World Twenty20.

Earlier, the Sri Lankan had a stint with English county side Surrey in 2014. He will begin his spell with Derbyshire in June by featuring in four T20 Blast fixtures and two county championship matches before playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The right-hander praised his new club and said he is looking forward to his stint.

"Derbyshire is an ambitious club with an exciting young team. I am looking forward to joining them in the T20 Blast and then returning to help them finish the season strongly. I am really pleased with my current form and this makes me confident I can make a strong contribution," Dilshan said.