James Anderson is weighing up an unexpected farewell lap on the franchise circuit following his enforced England Test match retirement.
Anderson, the most prolific fast bowler in Test history, bowed out of international cricket in emotional scenes at Lord’s last month and his immediate transition to a coaching role appeared to signal the end of his playing career.
But the 42-year-old never officially announced he had bowled his last ball and is now pondering throwing his hat into the ring for deals in the T20 arena, or even next season’s Hundred competition.
“I feel there is something there, that I still want to play a little bit more,” Anderson told The Final Word cricket podcast. “Things will become clearer as the rest of the year progresses. There’s two Test tours in the winter and I’m not sure I’ll be on them in this [mentor] role.
“I watch the Hundred and see the ball swinging around in the first 20 balls and I think: ‘I can do that, I can still do that.’ I don’t know if that is a viable option, to maybe see if I could do a job in white-ball cricket. Franchise cricket is something I’ve never done.”
It would be quite the change of pace for Anderson, who spent the majority of the last decade as a red-ball specialist and last played a 20-over game in 2014.
Anderson added: “My body has at no stage started to feel like it’s 42. I will dive around the tennis court and I will still dive around the field when I’m playing for Burnley CC in five years’ time, until I literally can’t move. That’s why I want to keep going. I feel I was made to bowl quickly, to be a bowler, so while it’s still functioning, use it.
“Bowling at the England lads in the nets, you have to have change-ups and slower balls. We constantly work it, so I don’t think [the skills and variations] will be an issue. But I don’t know how much people will want a 42-year-old bowler in their team so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Anderson’s current mentoring position is open-ended, but captain Ben Stokes has already floated the idea of Anderson lending his expertise on next winter’s tour of Australia.
“My love for Test cricket is always going to be there and the Ashes is biggest thing you can be involved in as an England player. If you’re not playing then the next best thing is trying to help the team from the sidelines,” said Anderson.
“It’s still a long way away and I still need to see if this is what I’m passionate about. Stokesy and England need to decide if I’m the right man for the job too. So far, so good, but you never know.”
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