James Anderson, the former England fast bowler, has signed a one-year contract extension with Lancashire to play for them in the County Championship and the T20 Blast in the upcoming 2026 season. With
that, the 43-year-old will continue playing professional cricket till the end of next English summer, extending his 25-year career further after retiring from international cricket last year following a Test match at Lord’s in London against West Indies.
Notably, during his illustrious career, James Anderson made 188 Test appearances for England, second in the all-time list behind Sachin Tendulkar of India with 200 matches. He managed to take 704 wickets in the longest format of the game, third in the all-time list behind legendary Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka (800 wickets) and late great Shane Warne of Australia (708 wickets).
The ex-England pacer is also the highest wicket-taker for England in ODIs with 269 wickets in 194 matches with his last appearance coming in the World Cup in 2015. He also has 304 appearances in first-class cricket to his name, taking 1,143 wickets while the 261 List A matches have yielded 358 wickets for him over the years and 58 T20 games leading to him picking up 63 wickets.
I'm absolutely delighted to sign for another year with Lancashire: James Anderson
In his first comments after extending his deal at Lancashire, James Anderson was quoted as saying to the club website, “I'm absolutely delighted to sign for another year with Lancashire. This club has been my home since I was a teenager, and I still get the same buzz walking out at Emirates Old Trafford that I did when I made my debut. I've really enjoyed my cricket this year and still feel like I've got plenty to offer. I'm as hungry as ever to perform and contribute to the team's success across both red- and white-ball cricket.”
“We've got a really talented squad with great ambitions, and I'm looking forward to helping the group continue to develop, while supporting Crofty [head coach Stephen Croft] in his new role as we push for promotion and trophies in 2026,” he added.
