Onions signs for Red Rose

The right-arm medium fast bowler, who has nine Test caps to his name, made his England debut at his home ground, Chester-le-Street, in the victorious 2009 Ashes series.

The 35 year-old recently became Durham’s leading wicket taker with 518 wickets having played for his home county since making his debut in 2004.

Lancashire Head Coach Glen Chapple said, “We’re delighted to strengthen the squad with the signing of Graham. He is a vastly experienced bowler who is proven at this level.

“He will complement a number of our young and exciting bowlers who we currently have within the group and this will be another experienced player that they can learn from.

“At this level, we need to have plenty of bowling resources at our disposal so I’m thrilled to bring Graham to the Club.”

Onions has played an important role in Durham’s success since making his debut and was involved in winning three County Championships in 2008, 2009 and 2013 as well as Durham’s triumphant Royal London One-Day Cup campaign most recently in 2014.

Graham Onions added, “I am hugely excited at the opportunity to work with Head Coach Glen Chapple, a fellow pace bowler who I’ve greatly admired, and join up with Lancashire over the next two years.

“It was an incredibly hard decision to leave Durham, having played there for my whole career and I certainly leave with a heavy heart.

“The Club has an exciting and balanced squad, and I can’t wait to play my cricket at a world-class stadium like Emirates Old Trafford, a ground I’ve always enjoyed performing at.

Onions, who is also a Level 4 ECB coach, added, “There are some very exciting, young bowlers within the squad already and I’m looking forward to working with them to see how we can continually improve as a bowling unit.”