McLaren leaves Hampshire for Lancashire

Lancashire have signed South Africa allrounder Ryan McLaren as their overseas player for 2017.

McLaren leaves Hampshire, whose Division One status in the Championship was saved when Durham were relegated instead because of their need for an ECB financial bail-out. But that reprieve has not been enough to keep McLaren on the south coast. Lancashire are his third county and, at 33, he will bring experience to a largely youthful squad.

McLaren performed powerfully for Hampshire last season, particularly with the bat, although his impact was limited in both limited-overs formats. He previously played for Kent between 2007 and 2009.

His most impressive displays for South Africa have come in ODIs, in which he has taking 77 wickets in 54 matches at an average of just 27.29, though his last international appearance was in 2014.

Ashley Giles, Lancashire's head coach and cricket director, said, "We're thrilled to bring Ryan into our squad for next year. He brings international experience to what is a relatively young, but extremely talented changing room. He will certainly add depth to our seam bowling department but will also give us balance with the bat too. His record in both ODI and first-class cricket is outstanding."