Burnley bowling legend Anderson set to depart Lancashire
Legendary Burnley cricketer James Anderson’s career could be over.
Reports have emerged that his county Lancashire have opted against offering offering him a new contract despite the fact that he claimed 50 County Championship victims at an average of 17.
It is believed Red Rose are looking to rebuild after a hugely disappointing season which saw them finish second from bottom in Division Two.
Forty-four-year-old Anderson – who is third on the list of all-time leading Test wicket-takers – chose to continue playing with Lancashire after England forced him into international retirement in 2024.
He captained the side in the longer format of the game this summer, after stepping in sporadically in 2025.
It is not known whether Anderson will retire or look to extend his 26-year professional career with another county.
It maybe that the “Burnley Express” will return to his hometown club who are the current Lancashire League champions.
It was at Turf Moor that Anderson served notice of his burgeoning potential – his express bowling accounting for many top professionals when he a just a teenager.
He went on to represent Lancashire before enjoying a meteoric rise when he was called up for England’s one-day team during their tour of Australia in 2002-03.
Soon after, he made his England Test debut and has gone on to be his country’s highest wicket-taker.
His exit from the Red Rose comes at a time of upheaval at Old Trafford. The county are undergoing a review of their cricket operations, led by interim chair Dame Sarah Storey and new chief executive Richard Kenyon. Paul Farbrace was appointed as Lancashire's director of cricket earlier this month.
Although Anderson is in his mid-40s, he has remained in supreme form in a struggling team.
His tally of 50 wickets in the County Championship this season was only bettered by only six other bowlers in Division Two. Anderson was named Lancashire's Championship player of the year.
Overall, 443 of Anderson's 1,193 first-class wickets came for Lancashire, to go with 83 List A wickets and 50 T20 wickets for the county.
In a 23-year international career, Anderson took 991 wickets across formats for England. Only spinners Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Australia's Shane Warne have more in international cricket.
In 2024, Anderson became the third bowler in Test history, after Muralitharan and Warne, to reach 700 wickets. He remains third on the all-time list with 704, a record for a pace bowler that is unlikely to be broken.
Later that year, Anderson was asked to call time on his international career by England's then hierarchy of coach Brendon McCullum, captain Ben Stokes and director of cricket Rob Key.
He played his 188th and final Test against West Indies at Lord's before embarking on a short spell as England's bowling consultant.
In 2025, Anderson signed a new deal with Lancashire and suggested he could play county cricket for three more seasons. In April of that year, he was knighted for services to cricket.
He was understood to be enjoying the role and, at the end of the this summer, there was no suggestion Anderson would end his career.