Joe Burns ends spell with Lancashire and returns to Australia for 'personal reasons'

Australia Test opener Joe Burns has ended his spell with Lancashire and returned home for personal reasons.

The 29-year-old had agreed a deal to be the club's overseas player for the majority of the County Championship season, building up to the Ashes series which starts on August 1.

Burns made his Lancashire debut against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford last week, making 10 in his only innings, and was expected to be named in the side for their fixture against Worcestershire on Monday.

However, ahead of the game Lancashire released a statement explaining that Burns would not be available for the rest of the 2019 season.

"Lancashire Cricket can confirm that overseas batsman Joe Burns has returned to Australia due to personal reasons, and will now not be available for the club's 2019 campaign," the statement read.

"Lancashire Cricket wishes Joe all the best, and it would be appreciated if his privacy is respected during this time."

Jake Lehmann will replace his compatriot in the squad for this week's match, with no indication over a long-term replacement.

Burns has made 16 Test appearances for Australia since his debut in 2014 and scored 180 in their last Test against Sri Lanka in February.