Faulkner to cover for Siddle at Lancashire

Lancashire have confirmed the signing of James Faulkner as one of their overseas players for this season, with the Australia allrounder to fill the gap left by Peter Siddle's Ashes involvement.

Siddle had been expected to play the first four months of the season, after he was dropped from Australia's Test side, but a recall to the squads to tour West Indies and England means his Lancashire stint has been reduced to the first four Championship matches. Faulkner will then arrive to play across all formats after the conclusion of the IPL.

"James is a world class cricketer and we are absolutely thrilled to bring him to Lancashire," Ashley Giles, Lancashire's director of cricket, said. "While he is better known at the moment for his performances in white-ball cricket his record in first-class cricket is fantastic. Having James available for all cricket is a real boost for the club and I'm certain all Lancashire cricket fans will be delighted at the prospect of watching him play at Old Trafford this season.

"When we originally signed Peter we had hoped that we would get him for the majority of our County Championship campaign. When you sign high-quality overseas players there is always an unavoidable risk that you will end up losing them for all or part of the summer.

"Peter is a renowned international performer with a fine pedigree and I am pleased that Cricket Australia have allowed him to play in our first four County Championship matches. It is important that we get off to a good start and his world-class experience will add a great amount of quality to our bowling attack."

Faulkner has played one Test for Australia, during the 2013 Ashes, and was a member of the side that lifted the World Cup last month, winning the Man of the Match award in the final. After completing the IPL season, where he is playing for Rajasthan Royals, at the end of the May, he will be available for Lancashire until the end of August, when the limited-overs leg of Australia's tour begins.

Faulkner said: "Lancashire is a huge county with a fine history in the game and I am looking forward to joining the squad next month. Playing in English conditions will benefit my career and I cannot wait to work with Ashley and the rest of the team."