Nathan Lyon joins Lancashire for 2024 county stint

Lancashire have confirmed the signing of Nathan Lyon as one of their overseas players for 2024. The Australia spinner, eighth on the all-time Test wicket-takers' list with 496, is expected to be available for the whole summer.

Lyon, who recently returned to playing after a serious calf tear during the second Test against England in June limited his Ashes involvement, revealed last month that the Lancashire deal was on the table.

He will arrive ahead of the start of the LV= Insurance County Championship in April, during which he will team up with long-time Ashes rival James Anderson, and is set to be available in all formats.

"This is an exciting opportunity for me, and I am really looking forward to heading over to England for a full season of county cricket with Lancashire," Lyon said. "I love playing cricket in England. I'm keen to keep learning, keep improving my game and hopefully I can contribute to winning matches for the Red Rose and pass on some of the experiences that I have gained over the years throughout my career.

"They have a strong squad at Lancashire and Emirates Old Trafford is a really great venue to play cricket at, so I am looking forward to that. It will also be great to catch up with Jimmy Anderson too."

Lyon has previously played in the Championship for Worcestershire and had signed with Hampshire for the 2020 season before the deal was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lancashire are currently without a head coach, after the departure of Glenn Chapple, but Mark Chilton, director of cricket performance, said that Lyon would be "an important player" as the club looked to improve on a run of near misses that has seen them finish as runners-up in all three county competitions in recent years.

Chilton said: "Nathan is an extremely skilled and experienced operator and, once we heard that he was available for the duration of next summer, we jumped at the opportunity to add him to our squad for the 2024 season.

"His bowling record in both international and domestic cricket speaks for itself, and we believe that he will be an important player for us with the ball as we look to achieve our goals in all competitions.

"We have several young spin bowlers in our squad and for them to have the opportunity to learn from and play alongside somebody with almost 500 Test match wickets will be invaluable in their development and I am sure Nathan will play an equally significant role off the pitch as he will on it."