Cricket News | Jimmy Anderson agrees new contract with Lancashire

A legendary cricketing career will be extended.

Jimmy Anderson is set to continue his remarkable playing career beyond his 44th birthday after agreeing a new contract with Lancashire that will keep him at Old Trafford for the 2026 season.

Author | Michael Haldsworth

England’s record Test wicket-taker had already signed a one-year deal for 2025 following his international retirement in 2024, but his form across formats has prompted the county to extend his stay.

Anderson claimed 17 wickets in six County Championship matches last season, though it was his return to limited-overs cricket that caught the eye. Playing T20 cricket for the first time in a decade, he took 20 wickets as Lancashire reached Blast finals day, performances that earned him a first foray into franchise cricket with Manchester Originals in The Hundred.

He also captained Lancashire in the County Championship, a role he could retain into the 2026 season. The new deal means Anderson’s professional career will have spanned 25 years since his debut for the county in 2001. He will turn 44 next July.

At the start of last season, Anderson suggested he could continue playing for Lancashire until 2027, extending his remarkable career into his mid-40s.

Jimmy Anderson is set to extend his playing career past the age of 44 🐐😍 pic.twitter.com/7jBnjS0U3J

— England's Barmy Army 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) October 16, 2025

The seamer brought his distinguished England career to a close after the first Test against the West Indies at Lord’s in 2024, having been told he was no longer part of the national side’s future plans. With 704 wickets, he remains third on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers, behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.

In April, it was confirmed that Anderson would be awarded a knighthood for his services to cricket, an honour he is expected to receive in the coming weeks. After retiring from international cricket, he took on a short spell as England’s bowling consultant before stepping back last summer to concentrate on his playing role with Lancashire.

A closer look at his career

Anderson made his Test debut in 2003, represented England in One-Day Internationals from 2002 to 2015, and featured in Twenty20 Internationals between 2007 and 2009. To mark England’s 1,000th Test in 2018, he was named in the nation’s greatest all-time Test XI by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Between 2016 and 2023, he spent six separate periods as the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, according to the ICC men’s player ratings.

He featured in three Ashes-winning campaigns with England, in 2009, 2010-11 and 2013. The 2010-11 triumph was especially notable as it delivered England’s first Ashes series win in Australia for 24 years.