James Faulkner pens down 2 year T20 deal with Lancashire

Australian bowling all-rounder James Faulkner has signed a two-year T20 deal with English county side Lancashire. The ambidextrous cricketer who played a vital role in Lancashire’s 2015 NatWest Blast triumph, will return to county cricket next season.

The 27-year-old Aussie has donned the national outfit 94 times, predominately in the white-ball format. One of the cherished moments in his career was when he won the Man of the Match during the 2015 World Cup final, playing an integral role to lift his country’s 5^th trophy. Faulkner has also plied his tried in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His stock of left-arm seam and slower balls has made him a regular performer at the IPL.

Speaking after the confirmation of the deal, Lancashire coach Glen Chapple was quoted saying by Cricbuzz, “I’m really pleased to have secured the services of James for the next two years in the T20 Blast. He is a world-class cricketer and he played an important role in our success in 2015 when we won the competition.”

He added, “Signing James on a two-year contract gives us some continuity and stability in terms of our T20 overseas player which is what we were looking for so we’re thrilled to bring him back to Emirates Old Trafford.”

Faulkner picked up a 4 match and a driving ban during his first stint at Lancashire

Since Lancashire first won the trophy in 2015, it has been a landslide for the county club. They have twice failed to get out of the group stages. Thus head coach, Chapple has turned to a proven competitor to try and change their fortunes. Faulkner, who took 25 wickets and scored 302 runs single-handedly to guide Lancashire to their maiden title will be expected to do an encore of his performance.

However. interestingly, during his first stint at Lancashire Faulkner picked up a two-year driving ban due to a drink and driving case. He was also fined 10,000 after being caught nearly three times over the alcohol limit, a transgression that also cost him his place in Australia’s limited-overs squads for the 2015 tour with a four-match ban.