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Lancashire have signed Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon for the entirety of the 2024 county season.

Lyon, who will be available for all competitions, is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in men’s Test cricket with 496 in 122 matches.

The 36-year-old, a three-time Ashes winner, had a brief spell in county cricket with Worcestershire in 2017.

Lyon played two Tests in this summer’s Ashes draw in England, before a calf injury sustained in the second game at Lord’s ended his series early.

The bowler said of joining Lancashire: “This is an exciting opportunity for me, and I am really looking forward to heading over to England for a full season of county cricket with Lancashire.

“I love playing cricket in England. I’m keen to keep learning, keep improving my game and hopefully I can contribute to winning matches for the Red Rose and pass on some of the experiences that I have gained over the years throughout my career.

“They have a strong squad at Lancashire and Emirates Old Trafford is a really great venue to play cricket at, so I am looking forward to that. It will also be great to catch up with Jimmy Anderson too.”

Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, said: “Nathan is an extremely skilled and experienced operator and, once we heard that he was available for the duration of next summer, we jumped at the opportunity to add him to our squad for the 2024 season.

“His bowling record in both international and domestic cricket speaks for itself, and we believe that he will be an important player for us with the ball as we look to achieve our goals in all competitions.

“We have several young spin bowlers in our squad and for them to have the opportunity to learn from and play alongside somebody with almost 500 Test match wickets will be invaluable in their development and I am sure Nathan will play an equally significant role off the pitch as he will on it.”