I checked the story before writing. It’s real: BBC Sport, Sky Sports and The Times all report it, and Broad made the comments on the *For the Love of Cricket* podcast. The article uses only facts from those sources.
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Stuart Broad says Lancashire have been “pretty disrespectful” to Sir James Anderson. The county has decided not to offer England’s record Test wicket-taker a contract for 2027, even though the 44-year-old captained the side in 2026, took 50 County Championship wickets at an average of 17 and was named the club’s player of the year.
Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, Broad said the decision was “not done in the right way”. He said one of the greatest players in the club’s history deserved a better farewell, and he blamed a lack of leadership at Old Trafford.
Anderson’s career at Lancashire lasted about a quarter of a century. It now looks set to end in a way neither he nor his former new-ball partner wanted.
How the decision unfolded
New chief executive Richard Kenyon and incoming director of cricket Paul Farbrace, who is joining from Sussex, told Anderson last week that he would not be retained. The Times reported the news first, on Wednesday. Lancashire did not comment officially until Sunday.
The decision is part of a rebuild after a poor season. Lancashire started 2026 as strong favourites for promotion but finished second from bottom in Division Two of the County Championship. Farbrace has chosen to reshape the squad, and Anderson is not in his plans.
Anderson said he was disappointed and wished the club and its supporters well. He also made clear that the decision had not been his. He has not announced his retirement, and BBC Sport reports that other counties are interested in signing him. Separately, Sky Sports reports that he is set to captain and co-own the Napoli Knights in the Italia T10 league.
At a members’ meeting on Monday, Lancashire said they would consider arranging a farewell for Anderson. Broad’s complaint is that this should have been planned before the decision was made public, not suggested afterwards.
Broad points to a familiar pattern
Broad’s criticism goes further than one county’s contract decision. He compared it with the end of Anderson’s Test career in 2024. England director of men’s cricket Rob Key and then head coach Brendon McCullum told Anderson that his time was up before he was ready to stop. Broad has argued that both endings were badly handled.
In both cases, Broad’s argument is about how the decision was handled rather than the decision itself. Few people would say a club cannot move on from a 44-year-old seamer. But Anderson’s figures show he was not finished:
- 704 Test wickets in 188 matches, the most by any fast bowler in the format
- 1,193 first-class wickets at an average of 24
- 50 County Championship wickets at 17 in 2026, while captaining Lancashire
- Lancashire’s player of the year in his final season under contract
Broad’s loyalty is no surprise. The pair played 138 Tests together and took 1,039 wickets between them in those matches, the most successful bowling partnership in Test history. Broad retired at The Oval in 2023 on his own terms, with a six-hitting farewell and the final wicket of the Ashes. Anderson has had neither of his exits on his own terms.
What it means for Lancashire and Anderson
For Lancashire, the timing is awkward. Kenyon and Farbrace are new in post, and their first major decision has upset the club’s best-known player and, judging by Monday’s meeting, some of its members. A former England team-mate with Broad’s profile questioning the club’s leadership makes things harder.
On cricket grounds, Farbrace can argue that a team which finished near the bottom of Division Two needs a reset, and that building around a 44-year-old is not a long-term plan. That argument was always going to be hard to make when the player in question topped the club’s wicket-taking charts.
For Anderson, the options are still open. He wants to keep playing, and his 2026 numbers show he can still compete at county level. If another county signs him, he could face Lancashire next season, which would be the kind of awkward fixture the club’s new leadership would want to avoid.
If he does not play first-class cricket again, his last county season will have ended with a captaincy, a player of the year award and 50 wickets, and without the farewell at Old Trafford that Broad says he deserved. Lancashire still have time to arrange one. Whether Anderson wants it after how this has been handled is less certain.
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Some details from the sources didn’t make it into the article:
– **Quotes:** I could only confirm short phrases from Broad: “pretty disrespectful”, “disrespectful” and “not done in the right way”. The longer points he made, and Anderson’s statement, are paraphrased because I couldn’t get their exact wording.
– **Dates:** Sources disagree slightly (Sky dates the decision to 22 October), so the article says “last week”, “Wednesday” and “Sunday” rather than giving exact dates.
– **Length:** about 720 words, within the 600–800 brief.
Sources:
– [Manila Times (Reuters): England great Anderson treated with disrespect by Lancashire — Broad](https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/10/28/world/americas-emea/england-great-anderson-treated-with-disrespect-by-lancashire-broad/2455639)
– [Sky Sports: Lancashire decide not to renew Anderson’s contract](https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/13601941/james-anderson-lancashire-decide-not-to-renew-contract-of-record-wicket-taking-seamer)
– [Sky Sports: Anderson to join Napoli Knights in Italia T10](https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/13604693/james-anderson-set-to-continue-playing-career-in-italy-with-napoli-knights-in-the-italia-t10-league)
– [UA.NEWS summary of the BBC Sport report](https://ua.news/en/sport/brod-rozkritikuvav-lankashir-za-vidmovu-prodovzhiti-kontrakt-andersona-bbc-sport)
– [NewsBytes: Broad slams Lancashire](https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/stuart-broad-criticises-lancashire-s-treatment-of-james-anderson/story)
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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