England legend Anderson disappointed over Lancashire exit

Posted Mon 26 Oct 2026 at 7:30amMon 26 Oct 2026 at 7:30am, updated Mon 26 Oct 2026 at 7:30amMon 26 Oct 2026 at 7:30am

In short:

England's leading Test wicket-taker Jimmy Anderson will not have his contract renewed with Lancashire.

The 44-year-old said the decision to end his 25-year association with the club was not up to him.

Lancashire's new director of cricket Paul Farbrace said Lancashire needed to rebuild its squad.

England legend Jimmy Anderson says he was disappointed when Lancashire decided not to renew his contract. 

The 44-year-old fast bowler, England's all-time leading Test wicket taker, has played for his home county for 25 years.

Anderson, who claimed 704 Test wickets for England, will leave Lancashire as the county looks to rebuild its squad for a promotion push from Division Two of the County Championship.

The veteran bowler made 112 first-class appearances for Lancashire, claiming 443 wickets, and was involved in its County Championship title triumph in 2011.

"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," Anderson said in a statement.

"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, who was appointed Lancashire's red-ball captain for the first time in his career in the 2026 season, took 50 wickets at an average of 17.68 this summer, but the county finished seventh out of eight teams in the second division.

That was the seventh-best return of any bowler in Division Two, while his average was fourth-best of any bowler to bowl over 100 overs in the season, and considerably better than any other Lancashire player.

"I spoke to Jimmy about our ambitions to rebuild our men's squad that is capable of securing promotion from Division Two of the County Championship and then challenging to win Division One over the next three to four years," said Paul Farbrace, Lancashire's incoming director of cricket.

"We are keen to begin that rebuild now, both in terms of the playing squad and the wider professional cricket set-up, and to make important progress over the coming months.

"As part of those plans, I informed Jimmy that we had taken the incredibly difficult decision not to extend his playing contract for the 2027 season."

Lancashire Cricket had honoured Anderson's contribution to the club by renaming the Pavilion End at Old Trafford the James Anderson End. He was also knighted in 2025 in recognition of his services to cricket.