BLACKBURN Northern have signed Pakistan Test star Ata Ur Rehman as their new professional next season.

The 26-year-old pace-ace replaces former East Lancs skipper Mark Lomas as paid man at the Pleckgate club.

And Rehman has already pledged to breathe new life into the struggling Jennings Ribblesdale League club after several seasons in the doldrums.

"I'm very happy to be signing for Blackburn Northern," said Rehman.

"I was very impressed with the facilities at the club and also with the manner of discussions we had.

"And I am here to turn things round after a couple of difficult seasons."

Rehman has a wealth of experience at international level, having played in 30 One-Day Internationals and 13 Tests, including two tours of England.

This summer he has been playing for Scottish League outfit Poloc, where he has scored nearly 900 runs but struggled for wickets with only 50.

And he also led his side to the League Cup with a man-of-match performance in the final, after two centuries had seen them through the earlier rounds.

Rehman also plans to forge links with young cricketers in the area by running a coaching school through next summer.

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