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James Anderson, the England legend, is set to make a professional comeback in Division Two of the County Championship next season. The 43-year-old pacer is reportedly in talks with Lancashire about signing an all-format deal that will extend his career beyond his 43rd birthday. Anderson, who retired from Test cricket after his final match against […]
James Anderson, the England legend, is set to make a professional comeback in Division Two of the County Championship next season. The 43-year-old pacer is reportedly in talks with Lancashire about signing an all-format deal that will extend his career beyond his 43rd birthday. Anderson, who retired from Test cricket after his final match against the West Indies at Lord’s in July 2024, is poised for a return to competitive cricket.
Having bid farewell to Test cricket after 21 remarkable years with England, Anderson concluded his career with an impressive 704 Test wickets at an average of 26.45. Despite his retirement from the longer format, he has remained out of action since, but the potential move to Lancashire signals a fresh chapter in his cricketing journey.
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James Anderson has shown that he still has unfinished business with cricket after his retirement from Test cricket in 2024. Despite going unsold at the IPL auction in December, Anderson has maintained his fitness while working as England’s Test bowling coach, regularly spending time in the nets and collaborating with the team’s strength and conditioning staff. Now, the 43-year-old is preparing for a comeback, with reports suggesting he is ready to sign for at least one final season with Lancashire, the club that first signed him nearly 25 years ago.
Anderson made his first-class debut for Lancashire in 2002 and is expected to return for the 2025 season, including the season opener against Middlesex at Lord’s in early April. His commitment to the club follows Lancashire’s relegation from the top tier of the County Championship last season, yet Anderson proved his continuing excellence in first-class cricket with a stunning 7 for 35 in his only appearance against Nottinghamshire in June. He is likely to play five matches for Lancashire before the Test summer kicks off, including a one-off match against Zimbabwe in May.
However, Anderson’s return would require balancing his playing commitments with his coaching duties for England, a role he intends to keep. Lancashire would also need to cover his wages for the first time in over a decade, as he is no longer centrally contracted with the ECB. His return would involve juggling his coaching responsibilities, media commitments, and his new role with Lancashire.
In addition to his red-ball return, Anderson could also feature in Lancashire’s white-ball teams, though it has been more than a decade since he last played T20 cricket. His last appearance in the format was in the 2014 T20 Blast final, where Lancashire suffered a narrow four-run defeat.
Mickey Arthur, the head of cricket at Derbyshire, is set to take on an additional role as the director of cricket at Northern Superchargers. This new position will run alongside his existing responsibilities at Derbyshire, where he has overseen a challenging 2024 season, with the county finishing at the bottom of the County Championship Division Two and failing to reach the knock-outs in both the T20 Blast and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Despite Derbyshire’s struggles, Arthur’s extensive managerial experience, including a recent stint as Pakistan’s team director, has made him an attractive addition to the Superchargers’ setup. In his new role, he will collaborate with the men’s and women’s head coaches, Andrew Flintoff and Lisa Keightley, offering guidance on recruitment and supporting the head coaches.
However, Derbyshire has emphasized that Arthur’s involvement with the Superchargers will be “largely hands-off,” allowing him to maintain focus on his primary duties with the county. He is expected to remain with Derbyshire during the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, which will run simultaneously with the Hundred competition.
Arthur’s dual role reflects his growing influence in English cricket and the trust placed in his leadership skills, both in his ongoing work with Derbyshire and his new responsibilities with the Northern Superchargers.
“Derbyshire remains my primary focus and I’m committed to achieving our goals of bringing success to the club,” Arthur said. “We encourage all of our players and coaches to develop their skills in new environments and this is another example of that.
“As a club, our personnel are in demand and that’s a testament to the work being done behind the scenes, and we are confident results will soon come on-field.”
Ryan Duckett, Derbyshire’s chief executive, added: “Mickey remains fully committed to Derbyshire, he lives and breathes the club and we hope that he can use this opportunity to showcase the quality Derbyshire has.
“It’s been a positive winter, with Mickey, Wayne [Madsen] and Zak [Chappell] lifting silverware overseas, while Harry Moore and Pat Brown have represented us within the England setup recently.
“Our squad has been working hard over the winter, and this will ramp up even further over the next couple of months to give us the best possible chance of success in 2025, with an exciting summer ahead.”
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