Queensland batsman Joe Burns has cut short his stint in the UK's County Championship to return home for personal reasons, but has indicated he hopes to return to cricket as soon as possible.

The shock news was announced by Lancashire little more than 40 minutes before the start of their next Division Two fixture against Warwickshire.

"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," Lancashire said in a statement.

Burns made just the one appearance for Lancashire in their huge 10-wicket victory against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford last week.

He scored 10 batting at No.3 in his only innings in the match, and has been replaced in the club's County Championship squad by fellow Australian Jake Lehmann.

Congratulations to @JLehmann71 who makes his Lancashire Championship debut today and is the 687th cricketer to play for the Red Rose in first-class cricket pic.twitter.com/Y4Uk3VfmP7 May 20, 2019

Burns had been expected to play 10 first-class matches for Lancashire in their bid to be promoted from Division Two.

The news that he would not be returning to Lancashire in 2019 would seem a massive blow to the 29-year-old's Ashes ambitions, but in a statement from Queensland Cricket he indicated he was keen to return to the cricket field as soon as possible.

"He is returning home in the short-term for personal reasons and would appreciate some privacy at this time. He has advised his goal is to be back playing cricket ASAP," the statement read.

Burns had scored a career-best 180 in Australia's last Test match, against Sri Lanka in Canberra, the fourth ton of his 16-Test career.

Australia A's four-day fixtures against county opposition begin on July 7 when they face Sussex at Arundel, and will culminate in a mouth-watering Australia v Australia A clash at Southampton from July 23, following which the squad for the first Ashes Test will be named.

Lehmann had been part of Lancashire's one-day side, playing four matches for the county, and was a last-minute inclusion in the 14-man squad for today's match against Worcestershire, also at Old Trafford.

He was named in the playing XI at the coin toss and listed to bat at five, becoming the 687th player to debut for Lancashire. His father, Darren, the former Australia batsman and coach, had been a successful overseas signing for arch-rivals Yorkshire.