Aussie duo the perfect fit for Lancs
GLEN Chapple believes Lancashire’s overseas players will be the perfect fit for the Red Rose this season.
The county announced before Christmas that they had snapped up Australian duo Joe Burns and Glenn Maxwell for this summer.
Maxwell will play in Lancashire’s opening Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Middlesex at Lord’s and all of the club’s Royal London One-Day Cup matches and T20 Blast games.
Burns will play up to nine Championship matches after the opening match, after which he is likely to be named in Australia’s Ashes squad.
Maxwell will then return to finish off the red ball season.
And with James Faulkner also returning for a third season with the club in the T20 Blast, head coach Chapple feels he has a great balance.
“It is always nice to get the players you want in good time,” said Chapple.
“There is a balance nowadays with trying to find out someone available of the right quality who will fit your team.
“You start off by trying to find out the schedule for international cricket and where we should be looking.
“You have your team to look at and see where we need to bring someone in, and then which country is available at what stage and in which format.
“You rely on help from player representatives, but Joe and Glenn both fit what we need, absolutely.”
“We are very happy we have two excellent players and it has given us a long time now to prepare for the season knowing what we have got.
“We think we have selected them sensibly and looks like it will dovetail really well.”
Maxwell turned down the chance to play in the Indian Premier League this spring so he could play at least some red ball cricket, with one eye on the Ashes squad himself.
And although that risks the chance Lancashire may lose him at the back end of the season, Chapple believes it shows his desire to do well for the county this summer.
“Glenn Maxwell not going to the IPL and wanting to play that much cricket for us is a real positive,” he said.
“And shows he has real ambition to further his international career and achieve things in county cricket for us.
“Glenn wants to play the first Championship game and the one-day competition, and then Joe Burns will have the run to the end of the first 10 games of the Championship.
“Then Glen will be in T20 with us.
“There is some room for that to change, but that’s what we are looking at.
“Glen has good stats in all forms. With his power and ability to play all round the wicket, people will say he is more of a one-day player, and he is phenomenally strong in that aspect, but he has great stats in red ball cricket too and is ambitious in that area.”