Manchester [UK], Dec 20 (ANI): England's county club Lancashire on Friday confirmed the signing of wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling for the first part of County Championship 2020.Watling has signed an overseas contract with the club for the first nine matches of the first-class season. He will play his first match against Kent in April next year and his stint will get concluded after the game against Northamptonshire in July."I am delighted to have signed for Lancashire. I enjoyed my first taste of English domestic cricket last year with Durham and I'm looking forward to getting started at Emirates Old Trafford in the New Year," Watling said in an official statement."It is important to start quickly. I hope I can contribute towards plenty of wins in the first nine games to help the Red Rose challenge towards the top of Division One," added he.The 34-year-old is New Zealand's highest-scoring wicketkeeper in Test history. He recently passed the 3,500-run mark in the longest format of the game.Watling had a two-game stint with Durham at the end of the 2019 season and he managed to register an unbeaten century against Glamorgan. (ANI)

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