Red Rose in bloom as Mahela moves in

LANCASHIRE coach Glen Chapple ‘can’t wait’ to see new recruit Mahela Jayawardene in action for the Red Rose after the Sri Lankan batsman signed a deal at Old Trafford the T20 Blast.

Jayawardene, 39, will be available for the whole competition and is Lancashire’s second signing for the Blast.

He will play alongside Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan, though Jayawardene does not count as an overseas player as he has been granted a spousal visa because his wife is Danish.

Chapple said: “I can’t wait to watch him bat. He has a massive amount of experience in T20 cricket, in cricket all around the world and great captaincy experience. He’ll add in all areas for us.”

Jayawardene, who helped Sri Lanka win the 2014 World T20 and has scored 5,455 runs in the game’s shortest format, played for Somerset last season, but has gone on to play in Pakistan and New Zealand’s T20 competitions since then.

And now he hopes to help Lancashire regain the crown they won in 2015 despite a poor showing last season, where they failed to get out of the group stage.

Former Sri Lanka captain Jayawardene, pictured, said: “Lancashire is a huge county with a fine history in the game. There is a young group of players at the club and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to working with them and to be part of the T20 campaign this summer.

“I haven’t won the T20 Blast in my career and it’s a trophy I’d love to experience success in this summer with Lancashire Lightning.” What a signing this is for Lancashire. We all know the skills that Mahela Jayawardene has and they will be in full flow at Old Trafford for the Blast. The experience of the Sri Lankan will help those coming through the ranks at the county too, and it’s great to see the Blast can still attract these big names to these shores.