Fast bowling great James Anderson’s glittering cricketing career is nearing its end after Lancashire have decided against renewing his contract for the 2027 season.
According to reports emerging from England, the 44-year-old seems to have played his last game, after being told by the County team about their decision to not offer him a contract for next season.
Anderson, took a record 704 Test wickets for England and this summer collected 50 wickets for Lancashire at an average of 17 in Division Two of the County Championship. However, at the conclusion of the season, according to Daily Mail, the club’s chief executive Richard Kanyon and director of cricket Paul Farbrace, communicated their decision to Anderson that his time is up at Lancashire. With Lancashire firm in their decision, the report suggest that Anderson would not seek to extend his first-class anywhere else and is set to make his decision public soon.
In all, Anderson took 1,193 first-class wickets at 24 each, as well as 358 in one-day cricket and 71 in T20s. After England refused to pick him in the squad in 2024, Anderson continued to feature in first-class cricket and even captained the team this season. The 188 Tests he has featured in is the second highest behind Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 200.
Anderson, who made his international debut in 2002 in an ODI against Australia, became a permanent member of the Test squad since his debut in 2003. First up he forged a lethal pair with Steven Harmison, and then with Stuart Broad, with whom he shared the new-ball for couple of decades. While he stopped playing ODIs in 2015, he continued to be an integral part of the Test side, showing his class across conditions, including during the 2012 series in India, when England won the Test series. As a mark of respect, the Test series between India and England has been named as Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy since the 2025 series.
Anderson’s 704 Test wickets is the most for any pacer in Test cricket. It included 32 five-wicket hauls and as many four-wicket hauls to go with 3 10-wicket hauls.