Arthur 'hellbent' on success with Derbyshire

Derbyshire are unbeaten in the County Championship this season under Mickey Arthur

Mickey Arthur says he is "hellbent" on delivering success at Derbyshire, but admits the County Championship job has proven harder than he first thought.

The 57-year-old South African has been head of cricket since 2022 and overseen more wins in the first seven rounds of the Championship this season as he did across the past two campaigns.

The East Midlands club finished bottom of Division Two with a solitary victory last term, while they failed to register a win with the red ball in 2023 after managing three for a mid-table finish in his first season at the County Ground.

On Monday, all-rounder Luis Reece helped them secure their second win of the season with a comprehensive victory over Kent that kept them second in the table.

They are still unbeaten, having drawn the other five games.

For former Australia, South Africa and Pakistan coach Arthur, the strong start to the season came after a winter reflecting on the club's struggles of recent years.

"I want to win. I'm not failing and I don't fail," Arthur told BBC East Midlands Today.

"I have beat myself up a bit because you do constantly re-evaluate your style and where you are as a coach."

Arthur says what Derbyshire have demanded of him as a coach has been "fantastic" after years spent in charge of national sides.

Before moving to the County Ground, the last time he worked at club level outside of a T20 franchise was at Western Australia in 2011.

"I've had to self-reflect and change my style a little bit because coaching internationally and coaching domestically has been a little bit different, which I didn't think it would be," he said.

"I've had to change a lot of the ways I handle the squad and different situations.

"In a nutshell it has taken a little bit longer, but it is a process of continually improving. And if you continue to self-improve - that's myself, the coaching staff and the players - you will ultimately achieve what you want to."

Even while in charge of Derbyshire, Arthur has stayed in touch with the international game, juggling a short second stint with Pakistan in 2023.

This season he is combining his role at Derbyshire with that of director of cricket at Hundred side Northern Superchargers.

Arthur landed those other roles despite Derbyshire's struggles of recent years, which last season prompted the club's chief executive Ryan Duckett to come out and back the head coach.

"I'm here until the club say to me, 'not any more'. That is how hellbent I am on achieving success," Arthur replied, when asked about what his plans for his future at Derbyshire are.

"I've had the fortune and opportunity to coach a lot of teams, and a lot of good teams and this is one that I'm very passionate about and one that I'm absolutely adoring because it's like taking the underdog to the top."