Sir James Anderson has taken 21 wickets at an average of 12.09 in his first three County Championship matches of 2026. He is 44 years old. He is Lancashire’s red-ball captain. And he is outbowling cricketers half his age in Division Two.
Two years after England pushed him into Test retirement at Lord’s, Anderson is not winding down. He is leading a promotion charge with performances that would be remarkable for a bowler in his prime.
His season opened with 5-64 against Northamptonshire at the County Ground in April. It was his 56th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, equalling Richie Benaud, R Ashwin and John Snow. Only Ian Botham, with 59, has more among Test bowlers with 200-plus wickets. Anderson had not played a professional match in over six months.
The second match against Derbyshire told the fuller story. Lancashire were defending just 137. At 73-3, Derbyshire looked comfortable. Anderson took 4-18, removing Martin Andersson, Anuj Dal, Ben Aitchison and Shoaib Bashir before completing the final dismissal via run out. Derbyshire collapsed to 108 all out. Lancashire won by 29 runs. It was Anderson’s first victory as permanent captain.
Against Gloucestershire, he took another four-for, including three wickets for 12 runs on day one. Gloucestershire lost their final five wickets for 11 runs. Anderson led the County Championship wicket-taking charts after three rounds.
Lancashire appointed him captain after Keaton Jennings resigned midway through the 2025 season. Anderson had served as interim skipper and impressed enough for the role to become permanent ahead of 2026. Lancashire sit in the upper half of Division Two with promotion firmly in sight.
“Remember why we started playing cricket because we love the game.”
James Anderson, pre-season interview, 2026
View this post on Instagram
The captaincy is not ceremonial. Anderson sets fields, directs the attack and bowls the critical spells himself. Lancashire coach Steven Croft called him “an outstanding leader whose influence on the squad is immense,” adding that “his commitment and dedication to training and living the right lifestyle set the perfect standard.”
Anderson has already looked beyond this season.
“I think there are times throughout the winter where I maybe thought about what if we get promoted and we’ve got a chance to push for the championship next year. Would I want to be involved in that? And of course I would.”
James Anderson, pre-season interview, 2026
At 44, with a knighthood received in October 2025, 704 Test wickets and 188 caps behind him, most cricketers would be coaching or commentating. Anderson is running in and taking wickets at 12.
Insider Read
Fast bowling at 44 is not about fighting the body. It is about renegotiating with it. The run-up shortens by a step or two. The wrist position does more of the work that the shoulders used to handle. You stop trying to beat batters with raw pace and start placing the ball on a length where their feet have to move, knowing most county batters would rather stay planted.
Anderson’s average of 12.09 this season is not in spite of his age. A 44-year-old seamer who has bowled 40,000-plus deliveries in professional cricket knows exactly what each surface will offer before the first ball lands. He has bowled on every county ground in England for over two decades. That muscle memory is worth more than an extra yard of pace. When younger bowlers search for swing, Anderson already knows which end, which angle, which length. The thinking is done before he marks his run.
A calf injury interrupted his season mid-2026, forcing him to miss at least one match. Josh Bohannon captained in his absence. Anderson returned against Middlesex in early September, because at 44, stepping away permanently never seems to cross his mind.
No active fast bowler anywhere in the world is within realistic range of Anderson’s records. His 704 Test wickets, his 188 Test caps (the most by any fast bowler in history), his 123 wickets at Lord’s alone: these numbers belong to a different era of commitment. John Turner retired at 25 with a broken back. Anderson is still bowling at 44 with a smile.
Also Read:
- Bumble Lancashire Cricket Regime
- Kate Cross Retirement
- Dean Elgar Retirement Essex South Africa
- Ollie Robinson Bowling Average Test Record
- Ben Stokes Coach England Ambition
