Brad Hodge joins Lancashire

The Australian batsman Brad Hodge, who is currently on tour in India, has signed a two-year contract with Lancashire. He and Muttiah Muralitharan will be Lancashire's overseas players in 2005 as they bid to reclaim their Division One status.

"When I recently became aware of Lancashire's offer, despite interest from other counties, it didn't take long to make up my mind," said Hodge. "Lancashire is a big club, and I have always enjoyed Old Trafford, along with having good experiences of the county from my league cricket days.

"Obviously the priority is a return to Division One of the Championship," he added, "and I look forward to teaming up with Murali to hopefully achieve this goal."

Hodge, 29, was the leading scorer in the 2004 Championship with 1528 runs at just under 62, and helped Leicestershire win the Twenty20 Cup with a superb 77 in the final. But last month he rejected a two-year extension to stay at Grace Road, which means that Lancashire will be his third county in four years - he also played for Durham in 2002 before moving to Leicestershire the following season.

Mike Watkinson, Lancashire's cricket manager, commented: "I am delighted that Brad will be joining us. He is a proven runscorer who will be a great asset to the squad."