Cricket: Lancashire signs Mahela Jayawardene for T20 Blast

Lancashire has signed experienced Sri Lankan batsman and former skipper Mahela Jayawardene for the upcoming T20 Blast campaign.

Jayawardene played for Somerset last season and has also appeared for Karachi Kings and Central Stags in T20 competitions in Pakistan and New Zealand respectively.

The 39-year-old has scored 5,455 runs in Twenty20 cricket and also was a member of the Sri Lanka team that won the ICC World T20 in 2014.

“I can’t wait to watch him bat,” Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“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.”

Lancashire won their first T20 Blast title in 2015, but failed to progress from the group stage last season.

Jayawardene is Lancashire's second signing for the Blast, which runs from July 7 to September 2, and will play alongside Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan.

“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,” Jayawardene has said.