James Anderson (Photo by Reuters)
James Anderson is still coming to terms with an unexpected end to his 25-year association with Lancashire, admitting that the county’s decision not to renew his contract has left him questioning his future in cricket. The 44-year-old, speaking on the BBC podcast Tailenders, revealed that he has yet to decide whether to find another county or call time on his playing career.
The veteran fast bowler, who had hoped to finish his career at the club he supported as a child, said the experience brought back memories of how his England career came to an end nearly two years ago. Despite the disappointment, Anderson said he was beginning to feel optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead. I don’t know if my career’s done, we’ll have to wait and see, but it’d be nice, at some point, if someone will let me retire,” Anderson said.
“I don’t know what the end looks like, but obviously I wanted to see my career out with Lancs. “I’m still sort of trying to process everything, and weigh up what the best way forward for me is, really. Anderson’s departure from Lancashire came as a surprise despite his impressive individual performances during the County Championship season.
“I went in for what I thought was a conversation about how the team moves forward, because obviously it wasn’t a great year for the team,” he said. And then a couple of minutes in, I realised it wasn’t a conversation; I was just being told that they thought the best way for the team to move forward is without me. Anderson said he had regularly discussed the team’s struggles with the head coach and questioned whether there was anything more he could have done in his role as captain.
“Being captain, I thought it was sort of just a chat about that. Obviously, I was quite shocked. It was quite brief and, yeah, that was it.