Player Profile

Lancashire mustn’t have been able to believe their luck when the opportunity arose to sign Luke Wells from Sussex in late 2020, the batting all-rounder’s career having stalled in his latter years beside the seaside at Hove.

Thankfully, now, he is back up to top gear after five seasons in the North West, which have included many highlights such as him receiving his county cap at the 2022 end-of-season awards dinner at Emirates Old Trafford.

When he arrived at the county, he was seen as more of a red-ball player. 

Now, however, he is a very important asset across all formats and has played - in 2023, 24 and 25 - for the Welsh Fire in The Hundred. 

His build-up to 2025 further emphasised that as, through the winter leading up to that county campaign, he represented both the Lahore Qalandars (Global Super League) and the Sharjah Warriorz (ILT20) in overseas T20 competitions. 

Before joining the Red Rose, Wells had long since shown his quality - mainly as a top order batter.

The tall and imposing left-hander had scored 18 centuries for home county Sussex, including a pair of double centuries with a best of 258 in a 2017 Rothesay County Championship home win over Durham.

But his last century for the Martlets came in early 2018 and difficulties followed, resulting in him being released after the Covid-shortened summer and doubts about his future career. He even explored opportunities outside the game.

Now, he is flying again, with his excellent contributions including a number of vital return as a very handy leg-spin bowler and a fine fielder.

In 2025, he scored 1,387 runs and took 16 wickets in 30 matches across all formats. He was the county’s leading run-scorer in the Championship with 1,074 from 14 games, including three centuries and a best of 152. 

In early 2026, he will surely reach 12,000 first-class career runs. He’s less than 200 away from that mark at present. He is also only seven appearances away from 100 in his T20 career. 

During the final game of last summer, the win at Glamorgan - to which he contributed 78 and 19, he topped 4,000 first-class runs for Lancashire. 

With the bat, popular Wells harnesses poise and power and has both opened and batted in the middle order. 

In all cricket for Lancashire across five seasons, including friendlies, Wells has scored 5,816 runs with 11 hundreds, including a best of 175 not out.

He has also taken 117 wickets with a best of 5-25 added to 94 catches.

His 5-25 came in the second innings of a 2023 Championship win over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Eastbourne-born Wells was just short of being an ever-present across all cricket in 2022 as the Red Rose went oh so close to silverware.

Opening the batting, he posted 991 runs in the Championship, including a brilliant best of 175 not out to secure a final day chase of 329 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in June. That remains his best score for the Red Rose.

Following another century against Somerset at Southport, he starred against Yorkshire in September with a memorable display of batting which engineered a victory chance that was almost grabbed hold of.

He hit a more sedate 84 in the first innings at Emirates Old Trafford. But, with time running out in the match, has raced out of the blocks in the second as Lancashire tried to fashion a win they desperately needed to maintain their four-day title challenge.

Hitting particularly well down the ground, he crashed 124 off only 82 balls. Unfortunately, Yorkshire later held on for the draw. Just before that, Wells had enjoyed a fine One-Day Cup campaign, totalling 355 runs from 10 games added to nine wickets.

In 2023, the now 35-year-old went beyond 10,000 career first-class runs and reached 100 wickets in 2024.

He is the son of former England player Alan and made his Sussex debut back in 2010, playing one game as they went on to win the Division Two Championship title that season.

Wells signed a new three-year contract at Emirates Old Trafford ahead of 2024, which saw him hit centuries in two Championship victories over Kent at Canterbury (150 in an innings success) and Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford (130 in the second innings).

Last summer, he scored centuries against Derbyshire Kent and Glamorgan. 

Five of his 11 red-ball centuries for Lancashire have been 130 plus scores.