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Lancashire appoint James Anderson as captain; English great to lead the side at age of 44

Umesh Sharma

James Anderson (Source: AFP)James Anderson (Source: AFP)

In what seems to be a ground-breaking piece of news, English county Lancashire has named the former England bowling great James Anderson as the captain for the upcoming County Championship next year. 

The all-time bowling great for England in Tests will be leading the side at the age of 44, almost two years after his retirement from international cricket. In his illustrious 188-match Test career, he bagged 704 wickets, to end up as the all-time leading wicket-taker in Tests among pacers. 

Besides that, the 43-year-old made his county debut for Lancashire 23 years ago in 2002 and is still in action since he hung his boots in international cricket. In the previous edition, he served as a stand-in skipper for Lancashire, but now will be in full charge in Division Two after getting in terms with the Red Rose as the new contract came into effect. 

"I'm excited about what we can achieve..." - James Anderson 

“Captaining Lancashire for the first time last season was a huge privilege and I'm honoured to take on the role full-time heading into the new season,” Anderson was quoted as saying by SkySports.

“We've got a fantastic group of players, a great blend of youth and experience and I'm excited about what we can achieve together, with promotion back to Division One our number one priority. I'm grateful for the support from Crofty, and from my team-mates, and I'm looking forward to leading the side into the new County Championship season in April,” he added later. 

Speaking of his outstanding and unbelievable First-Class career for Lancashire, the Burnley-born has claimed 1143 wickets in 304 games, including 55 five-wicket hauls and 48 four-wicket hauls, alongside bagging 10 wickets in a game on six occasions. 

Lancashire’s newly appointed head coach Steven Croft also expressed himself on this occasion. He also spoke about Anderson representing only Lancashire throughout his entire career. Croft also lauded Anderson and termed him as an inspiration for his young teammates in the Lancashire squad. 

Anderson will be in action in his first game for Lancashire as full-time captain against Northamptonshire on April 3, 2026.