Home
England’s legendary pacer James Anderson won’t turn up for Lancashire anymore as he wasn’t offered a contract extension. At first, it seemed like Anderson had decided to hang up his boots. But the statement of Anderson has led to scrutiny in the direction of England’s county club Lancashire. Anderson’s legendary pace bowling partner Stuart Broad has lashed out at the club’s top brass for unfair treatment of an iconic player. While discussing the matter on the For The Love of Cricket podcast, Broad understood why Lancashire’s Jos Buttler can't comment on the matter. But the 40-year-old did not mince his words for not giving the Test great a proper send-off.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I didn't like it from Lancashire," Broad said on the podcast. "It was not done in the right way. I think it was disrespectful. You give your icons or greats of the game a better send-off than that."
In the previous season, Anderson was the seventh-highest wicket-taker in County Championship Division Two 2026. In 11 games, he claimed 50 wickets, averaging 17.68, including one fifer and three four-fers. No bowler with 30 or more wickets in the season had a better average than Anderson.
Lancashire made the controversial move with Paul Farbrace expected to take over as director of cricket. Farbrace had moved from Sussex at the end of the season. The Anderson call was announced by him after the 44-year-old pacer had a meeting with chief executive Richard Kenyon.
"It shows a lack of leadership at that club," said Broad. "It shows a lack of doing it the right way.”
"Paul Farbrace is new, but where is the chair? Where is the board demanding that this is done in a better way?" he questioned.
ALSO READ: Ranji Trophy: Saransh Jain's six-fer helps MP sink Bihar, J&K player cracks ton at no.9 vs Baroda
Will Broad play for any other County?
Broad has already played in The Hundred, and he doesn’t like the format. It is not clear whether he will play another game for Lancashire before calling it off or move on to another County. Broad understands why Lancashire made the move and revealed that other counties are already interested in roping him in.
"I get the thought process, 'we could probably get two half-decent cricketers for the one and losing that salary'," Broad added. "It doesn't surprise me that some counties have already been on the phone and seeing what his interest levels are.”
"I don't know what his next steps are. I think his statement was quite interesting. There will be a lot of counties that want him. He offers a huge amount, he's still one of the best bowlers in the country."
How did Anderson respond to the Lancashire snub?
Anderson has dedicated two and a half decades to Lancashire. He has continued to play for Lancashire after retiring from international cricket. His decision to stay away from franchise cricket for a long time meant that he was available for Lancashire more than many other players. Until and unless he plays a farewell match for Lancashire, his last appearance for them will be against Kent, which took place in the previous month.
"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," Anderson said in an Instagram post.
Was Anderson's Test career ended abruptly too?
Broad sees similarities between how Anderson's Test and Lancashire careers ended. He holds director of cricket Rob Key and former Test head coach Brendon McCullum responsible for ending his Test career.
“I feel for Jimmy because the Test career sort of got ended by (director of cricket) Rob Key and (former coach) Brendon McCullum before — a bit of a shock to Jimmy for sure, and done in a pretty poor way," Broad said.
“This, again, it just doesn’t sit that comfortably for me and I think he deserves more."
Many felt that Anderson should have been in the mix for the Ashes 2025-26, especially after Ben Stokes-led side’s 4-1 defeat.
He had no intention of stepping away from Test cricket, maintained his fitness levels and did not let the pace drop.
"Yeah, it probably made it harder to let go. I had no intention of retiring. I was happy with where I was at," he said. "I was still bowling pretty well. Just been on a tour to India, and I did okay. My fitness was holding up. My speeds with the ball were where they had been for 15 years."
"I knew that it wasn't a decision where I could say, 'No, actually, I want to carry on.' They made the decision and I just had to try and deal with it" he admitted.
He even talked about being frustrated that he isn’t part of the team anymore as he is still capable of making an impact.
"There's been times over the last year or so where I've been a bit frustrated thinking I could do a really good job for the team in this situation. I still feel like I could have played in the Ashes if I was around with that England group," he expressed.
Anderson’s stellar record for Lancashire in red-ball cricket
Anderson is set to retire as Lancashire's fourth-highest wicket-taker. He has 443 wickets from 112 games at an average of just over 21. He has 23 five-wicket hauls and 18 four-fers for the county. Only Glen Chapple (706 wickets), Gary Keedy (521 wickets), and Tom Bailey (457 wickets) are ahead of him.
The unmatched record for the swing king
Overall, Anderson has 1,193 wickets from 315 first-class games. He retired from Test cricket with 704 wickets from 188 games, featuring 32 five-wicket hauls. He retired as the highest wicket-taker among pacers in Test cricket. Overall, Sri Lanka's Murali Muralidaran (800 wickets) and Australia's Shane Warne (708 wickets) are ahead of him.
The next pacer on the list is Anderson's bowling partner Stuart Broad with 604 wickets.
ADVERTISEMENT
