Simon Kerrigan puts playing career on hold amid form struggle

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Simon Kerrigan, the Lancashire left-arm spinner who made one Test appearance for England in 2013, has put his playing career on hold to focus on coaching after a struggle to find form.

He will work within Lancashire's coaching structure for the remainder of the 2018 season but will stay on the club's playing staff.

"My form hasn't been at the level that it needs to be for a while now and after discussions with head coach Glen Chapple and the cricket management team at the club, we have all agreed that I will remain part of the playing squad and assist with coaching across all areas of Lancashire cricket for the time being," Kerrigan said.

Lancashire's director of cricket, Paul Allott, said: "We respect Simon's situation and the club are committed and eager to support him in the coaching opportunities that will present themselves across the county this coming summer, and to help him return to what he feels is an acceptable level of form."

Kerrigan, 28, played a key role in Lancashire's 2011 County Championship title with 26 wickets in five matches and over the following two seasons pushed himself into the England frame. However, his Test debut, against Australia at The Oval, was a traumatic affair as bowled just eight overs for 53 runs.

He remained a regular in the Lancashire four-day team over the following three seasons, but last summer went out on loan to Northamptonshire when he found his opportunities limited at Old Trafford due to the presence of Stephen Parry and the emergence of legspinner Matt Parkinson.

In four matches for Northants he took 12 wickets and hasn't featured for Lancashire at the start of 2018 campaign.

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Derbyshire sign Wahab for the Blast as he seeks to rebuild Pakistan career

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Derbyshire have agreed the signing of Wahab Riaz for this summer's Vitality T20 Blast, an undertaking which the player hopes will help end his exile from the Pakistan side.

Wahab, 32, has not played for Pakistan since a Test against Sri Lanka in Dubai last October and was pointedly criticised by their coach, Mickey Arthur, when he was excluded from a training squad ahead of the forthcoming tour of England for which he has not been selected. Arthur rubbished Wahab's work ethic in training and remarked that "he has not won us a game in two years."

But Derbyshire believe they have secured a matchwinner, confidence that has grown further by the news that Wahab underwent surgery at the weekend for a long-standing sinus problem.

Wahab will be available for the bulk of Derbyshire's fixtures, leaving in early August for the Caribbean Premier League where he will join Barbados Tridents.

His T20 record remains an impressive one. He finished the joint leading wicket-taker in the PSL with Faheem Asraf when he took 18 wickets for Peshewar Zalmi at an economy rate of less than seven an over. In all, he has taken 197 wickets in 167 T20 matches at an average of 7.11.

Derbyshire reached the quarter-finals of the Blast under the guidance last season of their specialist T20 coach, John Wright and Wahab's proven ability, and his reputation for turning matches with hot spells, will lift their confidence that a repeat is not beyond them.

Whether Wahab can re-energise his Pakistan career under Arthur's coaching tenure remains open to doubt.

Arthur, like many before him, is seeking "a high-performance culture within the Pakistan squad" and told ESPNcricinfo: "I expect players that have been around for a long time to be winning us games and setting standards . The guys need to push themselves and get out of their comfort zones."

"I cannot fault Wahab when he has a ball in his hand but his work ethic around training is something [that] needs to be looked at. I am changing the culture in this Pakistan environment and I am not interested in players doing just the bare minimum."

Even during his last Test, against Sri Lanka in Dubai, Wahab wrecked the top order and nearly transformed a Test that had seemed lost. But the last time he played an ODI was nearly a year ago in India during the Champions Trophy when he returned galling figures of 8.4-0-87-0.

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