Derbyshire pull off coup as Windies star Shivnarine Chanderpaul joins - with poll

WORLD number two Test batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul is to join Derbyshire as their overseas player for 2013.

The county club has agreed a two-year deal with the left-handed former West Indies captain, who, at the age of 38, remains one of the most prized wickets in Test cricket.

Recruiting Chanderpaul is a huge coup for the newly-promoted club.

Though it has come a little later than he expected, it is the landmark signing chairman Chris Grant has promised.

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With no Test series scheduled for the West Indies between the end of March and the beginning of November, the player could be available for the full English season.

Chanderpaul not only deserves his place among the all-time greats of the game, he remains one of the most potent batsmen in world cricket today.

A tally of 10,696 Test runs, at an average of just under 43, puts him in exclusive company as one of only 11 batsmen to pass the 10,000 mark. Chanderpaul sits eighth in the all-time list.

His 27th Test century came in his last appearance for the West Indies, in November, when he hit an unbeaten 150 in Bangladesh, having made 203 not out in the only other Test of the series.

On top of his form for the Windies last summer in England, when he averaged 78.33 in the two Tests he played, the prolific Chanderpaul sits second, behind Australian captain Michael Clarke, in the current Test world rankings.

In all, the Guyanan has 64 first-class centuries to his name, including a best of 303 not out against Jamaica, and nine of those tons have come in county cricket.

His latest spell was with Warwickshire in 2011, when he played five County Championship matches and averaged 89.83. Chanderpaul averaged 58.26 in three spells with Durham between 2007-09 and 53.69 with Lancashire in 2010.

Though he has not been part of the Windies' plans in the one-day game since the 2011 World Cup, he has 11 one-day international centuries to his name and has scored at just under a run a ball in 22 t20 internationals.