Northamptonshire have announced the twin signings of Australian seafarers Chris Tremain and Lance Morris for the start of the county championship campaign.

Northamptonshire have signed Australian pace bowlers Chris Tremain and Lance Morris on short-term contracts.
Tremain, 31, will play the first three County Championship games, with Morris, 25, who regularly drives over 90mph, taking over the next three.

Tremain, who has been capped in ODIs four times by Australia, will be available for the first three games of the season in Northamptonshire, starting with a trip to Canterbury to face Kent later this week. Morris, the speedy West Australian who enjoyed a breakout summer in the Sheffield Shield, will then arrive in May for three games until the start of the Vitality Blast.

"Playing county cricket has always been a bucket list thing for me so I'm delighted to play for Northamptonshire and grateful for the opportunity," said Tremain. "It's been a pretty quick turnaround since the end of our season so I'm glad we sorted everything out in time to get me on the plane.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting my teammates and getting into the first round."

Both sailors are well known to Northamptonshire's other overseas signing, Sam Whiteman, who led WA to victory in the recent Sheffield Shield final and arrived in Britain ahead of the Kent game alongside Tremain.

Tremain has won 288 first-class wickets with an average of 24.02 - 20 at the Sheffield Shield this winter - and won four one-day internationals in 2016.

"Playing county cricket has always been a bucket list thing for me," he said.

"It's been a pretty quick turnaround since the end of our season [in Australia] so I'm glad we sorted everything out in time to get me on the plane."

Northamptonshire finished sixth in Championship Division One last summer and will start the new season with an away game against Kent in Canterbury on Friday.

"We're really excited to have Chris with us for the first few games," said head coach John Sadler. He's got great skills and we like his approach to the game. Sam Whiteman has a lot to say about him too."