Lyth ready to have a blast in Bangladesh

Lyth flew out to Bangladesh last night to join up with his new side the Rangpur Riders, who have also signed up hard-hitting West Indies superstar Chris Gayle, former New Zealand skipper Brendan McCullum and awkward Sri Lankan pace bowler Lasith Malinga for their 2017 campaign.

Joining Lyth in travelling over from England will be Warwickshire's Sam Hain and Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara.

Lyth admits he can't wait to get going in what will be his first time plying his trade in Bangladesh.

"I'm really excited to get out there and join up with the team and get going now," said the Yorkshire opening batsman.

"The opportunity came about on the back of my 161 against Northants, the offer came in pretty much straight after that, it's a great chance for me.

"Rangpur have signed some world class players, to play with the likes of Chris Gayle and Brendan McCullum will be brilliant, hopefully I can learn from them and pick up a few things while I'm over there too.

"I've never been to Bangladesh, so it will be a new experience for me both on and off the field and will be another country ticked off the list."

Lyth admits he had several offers from BPL clubs, but the lure of playing under well-respected Australian coach Tom Moody was too good to turn down.

"Tom is a respected coach who has worked all over the world, so it will be great to play for him and to pick his brains while I am over there," added Lyth.

"Tom is one of the reasons I decided to join the Riders and I can't wait to get out there now and get accustomed to the conditions in the nets next week."

The Whitby man will be in Bangladesh for five weeks, a period he admits will be tough given the fact his wife Heidi has just given birth to their daughter Ruby, but it's an opportunity Lyth admits was too big to turn down.

"It was very difficult to leave them knowing I will be away from home for five weeks, especially with a new-born baby, but this is a short career so I have to take these opportunities when they come along," admitted Lyth.

"I'm hoping I can get into the team and impress when I get the chance to get out in the middle. If I do well out there then it could open a few doors for me.

"I still have aspirations to get back into the England side, so impressing in Bangladesh would be a positive sign of my ambitions to play international cricket again.

"Getting back in the England set-up is something I'm aiming to achieve over the next couple of years."

Lyth admits the 2017 red-ball campaign didn't go according to plan for Yorkshire, but the left-hander was happy with his form in limited overs competition, and he's hoping his form will transfer seamlessly into the BPL, in which he'll play 12 games over five weeks, starting on Saturday November 4.

"It was a disappointing year in red ball cricket, for both the team and for myself," admitted Lyth.

"My form was good in white ball games though and hopefully I can continue that in the BPL with Ragpur, I can't wait to get out there now and get going.

"It will be brilliant to be batting at the other end with the likes of Gayle and McCullum, I think it might just be a case of getting them on strike and letting them do their thing."

When asked about Gayle's notorious dislike for running quick singles, Lyth added: "There aren't many singles when Gayle is batting anyway, the ball is usually flying to all parts of the ground."