James Anderson says he was “quite shocked” to be released by Lancashire. England’s record wicket-taker has 911 international wickets, and he took 50 County Championship wickets as captain this summer. He says the decision left him asking whether there is “something fundamentally wrong with me as a person”.
Speaking for the first time since the club decided to move on without him, Anderson, 44, told BBC Sport’s Tailenders podcast that the meeting lasted only minutes. He has not yet decided whether to carry on at another county.
“I went in for what I thought was a conversation about how the team moves forward,” Anderson said. “It wasn’t a great year for the team. Being captain I thought it was chat about that.
“A couple of minutes in I realised it wasn’t a conversation. I was being told they thought the best way for the team to move forward was without me. I was quite shocked. It was quite brief.”
‘Is there something fundamentally wrong with me?’
The decision was made by Lancashire’s incoming director of cricket Paul Farbrace. He met Anderson alongside the club’s new chief executive Richard Kenyon earlier this month.
It ends an association of more than a quarter of a century with the county Anderson supported as a boy. He made his List A debut aged 17 in 2000 for the Lancashire Cricket Board against Suffolk. He went on to take 443 first-class, 83 List A and 50 T20 wickets for the county.
Anderson said Lancashire’s difficult season had already made him question himself before the meeting. The club finished second-bottom of Division Two.
“All of the way through the season myself and the head coach were like ‘is it something we are doing? Could we be doing more to help the team?'” he said. “I finished the season thinking ‘was it something I did? Was I doing something wrong?’ – and then I get this news. Now I am thinking that even more.
“I am thinking ‘this is happening again. Is there something fundamentally wrong with me as a person?’ Your head just sort of races.”
The words “happening again” point back to how his England career ended. In 2024, managing director Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum told Anderson they were planning without him. His 188th and final Test came against West Indies at Lord’s that July, ending a 21-year career with 704 Test wickets. That is more than any other fast bowler in history.
Broad leads criticism of Lancashire
His figures this year make the timing harder to explain. His 50 Championship wickets came at an average below 18, in a side that struggled to win matches. On those numbers, Lancashire are releasing their most productive bowler, not a fading one.
Stuart Broad, Anderson’s long-time England new-ball partner, called the decision “pretty disrespectful”. He said it showed a lack of leadership that Anderson had not been given the chance of a farewell.
Anderson did not repeat that criticism, but he made clear the ending was not the one he wanted.
“I wanted to see my career out with Lancs,” he said. “I don’t know if my career is done, we will have to wait and see, but it would be nice at some point if someone would let me retire.”
Lancashire’s argument is about the future. Farbrace and Kenyon are both new in their roles and take over a squad that finished near the foot of the second tier. Rebuilding around younger seamers is a defensible plan. The criticism is about how the decision was handled, with a club great and the serving captain told in a brief meeting, rather than about the decision itself.
What next for Anderson?
Anderson turns 45 next July. Other counties have shown interest, and he has said he is weighing his options. Asked whether Yorkshire might be one of them, he joked that he “wouldn’t have thought” so, but said nothing had been ruled out.
“I am still trying to process everything and weigh up the best way forward for me,” he said. “It has been 10 days since it happened. I am starting to get excited about the future, whether it is something different or playing cricket again.
“There are exciting challenges ahead. I have to attack it like that and not dwell too much on how or why it finished at Lancs.”
The main questions now are:
- Another county: 50 Championship wickets this season suggests he can still do the job, and interested clubs would be signing a proven performer as well as an experienced figure for younger bowlers.
- Retirement: walking away now would end a professional career that began in 2000 and includes 911 international wickets, the most by any pace bowler.
- A move into coaching or the media: Anderson has already worked with England’s bowlers and is a regular broadcaster, and he hinted at “something different”.
Whatever he chooses, he said his loyalty to the club has not changed.
“I am sad the way it ended with the club I supported as a kid but now I have thought about it I am quite excited for the future,” he said. “I am always going to support Lancashire. I was born there, grew up watching them, had some of my most memorable days out with dad watching them, got to play for them and captain the club, which is something most people dream about.”
Sources: BBC Sport via Yahoo, The Independent via Yahoo, CricTracker, IANS
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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