Batters in Division Two of the County Championship have been put on notice with the news that Jimmy Anderson is planning to make a return for Lancashire this year.
Anderson has not played a competitive match since his farewell Test against West Indies at Lord’s last July but, despite turning 43 this summer and having already moved into coaching, England’s record wicket-taker has made no secret of his desire to continue.
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Anderson went unsold in the auction for this year’s Indian Premier League but it was not the end of the line, with Lancashire set to be the beneficiaries as they bid to bounce back to Division One following last year’s relegation. Talks over a deal are understood to be under way, 25 years on from his professional debut for the club.
Relegation may have been avoided had Anderson turned out for the Red Rose last summer but England softened the blow of forcing him into international retirement with a role as the Test team’s bowling coach. This arrangement then continued on a freelance basis this winter after the expiration of his central contract.
Brendon McCullum, the England head coach, spoke glowingly about Anderson’s impact as a mentor after the 2-1 win in New Zealand in December, praising him for accelerating the careers of Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse in particular.
A resumption this summer, when the visit of Zimbabwe for a one-off Test is followed by the marquee five-match series against India, is still yet to be decided by both parties. As it stands, only McCullum’s full-time assistants – Marcus Trescothick, Paul Collingwood and Jeetan Patel – are following the head coach as he takes charge of England’s white-ball teams, starting with the tour of India that starts next week.
Either way, having spent the winter staying fit and bowling to England’s batters in the nets, Anderson now appears likely to at least feature in the early rounds of the County Championship and boost his stash of 1,126 first-class career wickets – 376 of which have come from 95 appearances in the whites of Lancashire.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2021 about the possibility of playing for Lancashire after his time with England was over, Anderson said: “I love the club. If I retire [from England] or am moved on, and if I still have enough in the legs, then definitely.”
Anderson’s last five outings for Lancashire in the County Championship have returned 24 wickets at 16 runs apiece and his first appearance for them since a one-off outing last season could be their opening match against Middlesex at Lord’s that starts on 4 April.
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