LONDON: Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been re-signed by England county side Lancashire for the upcoming season of the T20 Blast starting here on May 28. The 31-year-old will play in at least the first eight North Group fixtures before returning Australia for national duty, the club announced. One of the most destructive T20 players, Maxwell will feature in five Lancashire Lightning home fixtures, starting against Northants Steelbacks on May 29. “Last season was one of the best summers of cricket I have ever experienced and I cannot wait to return to Emirates Old Trafford in 2020,” Maxwell said after signing the new contract.
“We were very unfortunate not to progress further after dominating the North Group and I was so impressed with the talent inside the changing room. I’m very confident we can improve on the quarter-final finish of 2019,” he added. Maxwell played for Lancashire across formats last season, that saw the side earn promotion back to the first division of County Championships. He captained the Melbourne Stars to a second consecutive Big Bash League final last month and will play for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. He has scored nearly 6,000 T20 runs across his entire career including three centuries and a career-best of 145 not out against Sri Lanka in 2016. “Glenn is one of the most sought after players in world cricket and to have signed him again after the enormous impact he made last year is hugely significant as we go in search of a second Vitality Blast title,” Paul Allott, Lancashire’s Director of Cricket said. “To have a player of his talent on the pitch, as well as the person he is away from the field, can only enhance our prospects in this year’s tournament. He is extremely generous with his time in passing on his experiences to younger players and will no doubt play a huge part in their development once again,” he added.