England great James Anderson has expressed his displeasure at the way his county, Lancashire, ended his contract a few days ago.
The 44-year-old, who is the only fast bowler to date to take 700 or more wickets in Test cricket, played his first first-class game for Lancashire way back in 2002. He has been loyal to the county since.
After retiring from international cricket in 2024, he played for his old county and last season even captained them. His performance was quite good too, as he took 50 wickets in 11 championship games at an average of 17. But Lancashire finished seventh in Division 2.
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After keeping things to himself for quite a few days, Anderson has finally let his thoughts be known on the contentious matter. “I’ve supported Lancashire since I was a kid, and so to get to play for them for 25 years was a dream come true.
“I have always found it special walking out to play at Old Trafford and have some incredible memories of doing so, including the honour of being captain – if it was up to me, it wouldn’t have ended like this, but I wish the players and fans all the best for the future,” he wrote on social media.
What Paul Farbrace says
Lancashire have also released their response. New Director of Cricket Paul Farbrace has revealed that he and new chief executive Richard Kenyon recently met Anderson and explained the county’s decision to him.
“Jimmy is without doubt the greatest bowler Lancashire and England have produced. He has been a fantastic competitor throughout his career, with exceptional skill and an unwavering commitment to setting the highest standards in every dressing room he has been part of.
“Following a meeting with Jimmy and Richard Kenyon at Emirates Old Trafford on Monday, 19 October, I spoke to Jimmy about our ambitions to rebuild our men’s squad that is capable of securing promotion from Division Two of the County Championship and then challenging to win Division One over the next three to four years,” Farbrace said.
Ever since this development, it’s been reported in the British media that quite a few county teams are now interested in Anderson.
