James Anderson’s Lancashire sign deal to make Dubai pre-season home

English county cricket side Lancashire have signed a four-year deal to use the ICC Academy in Dubai for their pre-season base, it was announced Monday.

James Anderson of England and Lancashire bowls on Sunday during Day 4 of the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai. Jason O'Brien / Action Images / Reuters / October 25, 2015

Agency

Oct 26, 2015

Dubai // Lancashire, one of England’s most successful County Championship sides, have signed a four-year deal to use the ICC Academy at Dubai Sports City as their pre-season training base.

Lancashire, who are coached by former England spinner Ashley Giles, have nine County Championship titles to their name and are the NatWest T20 Blast champions.

A successful 2015 season was capped by securing promotion to Division 1 of the County Championship.

The deal with ICC Academy means Lancashire side, the home of England duo James Anderson and Jos Buttler, will prepare on the Academy’s English training wickets in addition to playing two, two-day games against other visiting English sides on the Academy’s ovals.

Giles said: “Pre-season is crucial for our preparation ahead of a new season and to have secured a venue with such fantastic facilities and ideal conditions is fantastic news for the club.”

The Academy is also the permanent base of the UAE National Team and the ICC High Performance Programme.

Games and training sessions will be open to the public so that fans of Lancashire and cricket can come and watch their team play.