James Anderson, renowned for his illustrious cricketing career, will be part of England's staff for the Champions Trophy scheduled in February and March. As he prepares to support England's fast bowlers, Anderson is currently in Abu Dhabi, assisting with preparations for the upcoming white-ball tour of India. Despite retiring from international duty in July, Anderson, who turns 43 this July, remains pivotal in the cricketing world.
Anderson, who holds the record for the most Test wickets by a pace bowler—an impressive 704—has not played a Test match since his retirement. With a career spanning 298 first-class matches and 1,126 wickets, Anderson has made a significant mark in cricket history. His contribution to Lancashire is substantial, having taken 376 wickets in 95 matches since his debut in 2002. In 2025, Anderson will return to play for Lancashire, participating in the entire County Championship season and the T20 Blast.
Despite his retirement from international cricket, Anderson remains committed to the sport. He stated,
"The one thing I've known for many months is that I wanted to play cricket."
This sentiment underscores his ongoing passion for the game. Anderson has not played any white-ball cricket since 2019 but expressed a desire to explore franchise cricket. However, he went unsold in the Indian Premier League auction in November. His commitment to Lancashire is evident as he mentioned,
"I don't think it would be fair on Lancashire if I just dipped in and out."
For the upcoming season, Anderson could play his first T20 match in nearly 11 years when Lancashire's Blast campaign begins on May 29. However, his Indian Premier League deal with Rajasthan Royals might delay his participation in the County Championship for Sussex until June. Despite these commitments, Anderson reassures,
"It's only fair that I give it a good crack and that'll take precedence over anything else during the summer."
Since retiring from international duties, Anderson has been actively involved as a bowling consultant for England. His experience is invaluable, and he recently remarked on the promising form of fellow bowlers,
"looks in a great place," referring to Jofra Archer while describing both Archer and Mark Wood as "absolutely desperate" to perform.
Leave a Reply