James Anderson is primed to play his first game of the 2025 County Championship season this week when Lancashire take on Derbyshire at Old Trafford, having been sidelined with a calf strain.
The 42-year-old last took the field in July last year, in his final Test match for England. Four wickets in a comprehensive win took his tally in the format to 704, by far the most by a fast bowler in the game’s history. He received a knighthood in the resignation honours list of former prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Anderson's retirement was contentious, told by captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum that he would no longer feature in their plans beyond the summer's opening game, despite his legacy and continued excellence into his forties.
He has been named in a 14-strong squad that also features former England teammates Tom Hartley and Keaton Jennings and former Australia opponent Marcus Harris.
Lancashire will hope Anderson’s returns can inspire a turnaround in fortunes. Five games into the season, they sit bottom of Division Two of the County Championship, winless having squandered several good positions in defeat to Northamptonshire. Jennings resigned from the club captaincy earlier this week, with Harris standing in as interim. The club hierarchy has apologised to its fans while standing behind embattled head coach Dale Benkenstein. Not much separates the bottom nine sides in the division – should Lancashire triumph, they would have an identical win/loss/draw ratio to Derbyshire, currently second in the table.
Anderson’s Lancashire record is exceptional, having taken 376 first-class wickets for the club at 21.32 apiece. His virtuosity was on display in his only appearance of the 2024 season for the Red Rose, Anderson claiming 7-35 against Nottinghamshire. Whether he has the same effect a year on will be keenly observed by cricket fans across the country.
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