Marcus Harris and Ashton Turner recalled by Cricket Australia
Lancashire Cricket’s overseas duo of Marcus Harris and Ashton Turner will both return to Australia this week, following the introduction of a new Cricket Australia regulation.
Cricket Australia have brought in a new a statutory rule ensuring that State-contracted players return in time for the start of their domestic season, meaning that several overseas players currently featuring in county cricket must depart early.
Turner’s Lancashire spell ended following Saturday’s Vitality Blast quarter-final win against Kent Spitfires at Emirates Old Trafford. Across the Blast and the Rothesay County Championship, he made 17 appearances for Lancashire, scoring two red-ball centuries and helping the side to Finals Day.
Harris departs following the conclusion of today’s Rothesay County Championship match against Kent at Canterbury. In 10 Championship matches for the Club this summer, Harris scored 1,027 runs at an average of 60.41 – including five half-centuries and three centuries. He also captained the red rose throughout the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, scoring 337 runs at an average of 48.
Director of Cricket Performance Mark Chilton said: “Ashton played every game in helping us to reach Finals Day, and it’s a real shame he can’t be with us on Saturday. He also performed superbly in the County Championship, hitting a century in both of his appearances for us.
“Marcus has been a consummate professional this summer. He has scored over 1,000 red ball runs and captained the side on three occasions during a particularly tricky period. We are looking forward to welcoming him back to Emirates Old Trafford for the next two years.
“I would like to thank both Marcus and Ashton for their efforts and contributions across the summer. We wish them all the best ahead of the Australian domestic season.
“This situation further highlights the ongoing challenges that we, along with other counties, continue to face with the current domestic schedule.”