Tuesday 31 July 2007 23:05, UK
Durham have struck a deal to sign West Indies star Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Durham have struck a deal to bring West Indies star Shivnarine Chanderpaul to the Riverside for the rest of the season.The 32-year-old Windies batsman averaged just under 150 runs in the recent Test series against England, which was made even more impressive by the way his team-mates struggled.
Current Dynamos all-rounder Scott Styris has therefore left the club, as he looks to recover from groin and back problems ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in September.
Chanderpaul will also be made available by the Dynamos for the tournament in South Africa, so the club will have to make most use of his talents during August.
He looks set to make his debut for the county in Sunday's Pro40 clash against Surrey at Guildford, and Durham's head coach Geoff Cook is delighted with the acquisition.
"Signing a player of Shiv's class is a statement of our intent for the rest of the season," he said.
"He is in exceptional form at the moment and will provide valuable middle-order runs while demonstrating what it takes to be a world-class batsman to some of our younger players.
"With a number of important games and obviously the Lord's final on the horizon, adding Shiv to the squad will give us extra batting options as we strive to make this Durham's most successful season."
Chanderpaul averages just under 47 runs in Test match cricket, 39 runs in the one-day international arena and 33.5 runs in Twenty20 internationals.
