Lancashire have confirmed paceman Ajmal Shahzad has made his cross-Pennine switch from Yorkshire on loan until the end of the season.
The 26-year-old has fallen out of favour at Headingley and it was announced last Tuesday he was free to leave the White Rose county on loan or on a permanent deal.
Defending county champions Lancashire have moved quickly to snap up the Huddersfield-born bowler who has played one Test and 11 one-day internationals for England.
"We are delighted to bring a bowler of Ajmal's quality into our squad," Lancashire head coach Peter Moores said.
"He will join a strong seam attack, giving us the depth needed to compete on all fronts. He is known for his competitive nature, which will fit perfectly into the set-up at Lancashire."
Shahzad is set to immediately make his debut for the Red Rose county after he today travelled with them to Hove, and was subsequently named in their 13-man squad for the LV= County Championship fixture against Sussex.
"Great feeling to be back into cricket today! Appreciate Lancashire for having me on a loan agreement till the end of the season," Shahzad tweeted this morning.
Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves last week hinted Shahzad was disillusioned with life under new coach Jason Gillespie and the club's official Twitter feed suggested his departure would benefit both parties.
They tweeted: "Ajmal Shahzad signs for Lancashire after being allowed to leave #yccc. First player to cross Pennines since David Byas in 2002."
They added: "Wishing @AJShahzad all best with Lanky! Real shame it didn't work out at #yccc. Both parties on different cricket pages but a genuine talent.
"Ajmal had different thoughts on how his cricket should go than club. He wasn't happy. Threatened positive atmosphere in squad.
"No one at club is happy that Ajmal has gone and we do genuinely wish him well."
Shahzad's arrival is set to boost Lancashire, who have made a poor start to their title defence, while their seam attack has been weakened by an injury to all-rounder Tom Smith.
The club are also uncertain over Pakistan quick Junaid Khan's arrival due to international commitments.
"With Tom Smith being ruled out for at least a month after tearing a hamstring and Pakistan set to announce this week their squad for a series in Sri Lanka this summer, which could mean us missing out on bringing Junaid back, the availability of a hugely talented and experienced bowler comes at a good time for us," cricket director Mike Watkinson said:
Shahzad took eight wickets in three first-class matches at an average of 26.25 for Yorkshire this season.
He was the first British-born Asian to represent Yorkshire in 2004 and he claimed match figures of four for 63 on his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2010.
However, his stock has dwindled considerably since then to the point where he is nowhere near the England set-up.
