Maxwell will be available to play up to five County Championship matches, the Vitality Blast campaign and at least a section of the Royal London One-Day Cup.

The signing of Maxwell represents somewhat of a major coup for Lancashire after their relegation to Division Two of the Country Championship at the end of the summer.

Maxwell’s decision to sign for Lancashire seems to have been partially influenced by the amount of cricket Australia are due to play in England next summer.

“Coming over to England early next year will also help me acclimatise to conditions ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which I am incredibly excited about,” Maxwell said.

“I still have aspirations to play Test cricket for Australia so I felt it was important that I play some first-class cricket whilst I’m over in England. The County Championship is an extremely competitive competition and I’m looking forward to being part of Lancashire’s red-ball team.

“There are some very talented young players in the Lancashire squad and I can’t wait to join up with the lads in April and contribute towards a successful season in all competitions.”