Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens will play on loan for Derbyshire in this season’s Vitality Blast.

The medium-pacer will be only eligible for Derbyshire’s Vitality Blast matches, and will be available for selection in Kent’s mid-tournament Specsavers County Championship tie against Essex at The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence, as part of Canterbury Cricket Week, from Sunday 18th August.

Stevens will also be unable to feature should Derbyshire meet Kent Spitfires in the latter stages of the tournament.

Since joining the club in 2005, Stevens has scored 3,128 T20 runs at an average of 27.92 in 141 batting innings for the Spitfires, top scoring with 90 at the Kia Oval against Surrey in 2015, a match where he also took four wickets for 39 runs.

He was also part of the Kent Spitfires side that won the Twenty20 Cup in 2007.

He has taken 99 T20 wickets in total for Kent in 116 innings at 25.15, with best figures of 4-14 against Essex Eagles at Chelmsford in 2017.

Kent’s Director of Cricket, Paul Downton, said: “Darren has been a tremendous servant to the club since arriving here in 2005. He remains very much part of our plans in Championship cricket for the rest of the season.

“However, having not been included in our T20 squad for this year, Darren wanted the opportunity to play T20 cricket elsewhere and I am delighted he will have the opportunity at Derbyshire.”