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IPL-Rejected James Anderson Eyes T20 Return; Signs Deal With Lancashire

Arnav Chopra

James Anderson (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com)James Anderson (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com)

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To the joy of many cricket fans and traditionalists, England's now retired premier pace bowling spearhead James Anderson is all set to return to the cricket field after signing a one-year landmark deal with his beloved county side Lancashire for the upcoming 2025 season, albeit in a new avatar as this deal enables him to feature in the County Championship as well as the T20 Blast.

After retiring from the game back in July, where he featured in his final Test against West Indies, Anderson has not played any professional game so far. Currently 42, he would turn 43 in July when the Championship would be in full swing alongside Blast.

Anderson Looking For T20 Gigs

All this comes on the back of him retiring from international cricket and then joining England's backroom staff during the summer. However, he openly addressed his desire to feature in T20 leagues around the world, especially the IPL.

Unfortunately, he went unsold in the auction in November and, since then, has been looking for another opportunity to try his hands at T20 cricket after last turning out in the format during the 2014 Blast for the Red Rose.

In 2024, he featured for Lancashire in just one County game, where he delivered a magnificent spell of 7/35 against Nottinghamshire in Southport.

Why is Anderson England's Greatest Ever Bowler?

The right-arm pacer made his England debut back in 2003 against Zimbabwe and didn't look back after that until he hung up his shoes 21 years later. In 188 matches where he held the red cherry for England, Anderson picked up a mouth-shattering 704 wickets at an average of 26.45, making him the third-highest wicket-taker in Test history.

With just Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne ahead of him on the tally, he also tops the chart for being the fast bowler with the most wickets in Tests.