Luke Wells and Jack Blatherwick sign for Lancashire

Both players will join up with their new teammates at Emirates Old Trafford next week as preparations get underway for the 2021 season

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Lancashire have signed Luke Wells and Jack Blatherwick on two-year deals, keeping them at the club until at least the end of 2022.

Wells, an experienced left-hand batsman joins the club from Sussex and fast bowler Blatherwick joins from Nottinghamshire. Both players will join up with their new teammates at Emirates Old Trafford next week as preparations get underway for the 2021 season.

29-year-old Wells spent nine years at Sussex. In that time he scored nearly 8,000 runs in 141 first-class matches, including a career-best 258 against Durham in 2017. He also bowls leg-spin and has taken 69 wickets with career-best figures of 5-63 against Glamorgan last year.

Wells said: “I am proud to have signed with one of the biggest counties in English domestic cricket. This is a great opportunity to show what I can do and I’m hugely excited about the prospect of calling Emirates Old Trafford, one of the best grounds in the world, my home for the next few years.

“This is the start of an exciting new chapter in my career and I can’t wait to pull on the red rose next summer.”

Blatherwick is a former England under-19 international who debuted for Nottinghamshire in List-A cricket during the 2018 season. He made his first-class debut against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge in 2019. The 22-year-old has played in one 'Youth' Test and six under-19 ODIs.

"Joining Lancashire is a huge move for me, and I can’t wait to meet the lads and get stuck in over the next weeks ahead of the new season," said Blatherwick.

“My old team mate, Luke Wood, has had nothing but positive words to say about the setup at Emirates Old Trafford and I know the Club can help me develop into the next stage of my career.”

Lancashire's director of cricket, Paul Allott, added: “We are pressing on with our plans for the 2021 season and we’re pleased with the additions of Luke and Jack to bolster the squad.

“Luke’s record in first-class cricket speaks for itself. He is a skilled batsman who values his wicket and has the ability to bat long periods of time. The opportunity to sign a player of his quality does not come around every day and was one we could not pass up on.

“In Jack, we are getting a highly talented young seam bowler who is yet to fully show what he can do in first-class cricket. After losing Graham Onions to retirement and with Toby Lester moving on, a spot has opened up in the seam bowling department and we’re excited to see what he can add to our group.