Not finished yet
Forty-four years old, cut loose by the only county he had ever played for, and still not ready to stop. Sir James Anderson has signed with Surrey for the 2027 County Championship season, the club confirmed this morning.
The deal lands a month after Lancashire chose not to renew his contract, ending a stay at Old Trafford that ran past 25 years. Anderson did not pretend it was easy to take. He called himself sad and quite shocked by the decision, and admitted it made him ask whether there was something fundamentally wrong with him as a person.
The numbers made Lancashire’s call look odd at the time. Anderson captained the side in Division Two last season and took 50 wickets at 17.68. The team still finished second from bottom, above only Gloucestershire, and new director of cricket Paul Farbrace wants to build a younger attack.
no renewal
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Surrey want the wickets and the dressing room
Surrey see value in both. Alec Stewart, the club’s director of men’s cricket, pointed straight at those 50 Championship wickets as proof that Anderson is still one of the best bowlers in the country. He also expects the squad’s younger bowlers, many of them chasing England caps, to learn plenty just from training and sharing a dressing room with him.
Anderson sees his role the same way. He said he still has a lot to offer with the ball and wants to help the young players at the Kia Oval develop their game and push for international honours.
Surrey could use the lift. They won three straight titles from 2022 to 2024 and were runners-up in 2025, then slid to seventh in 2026. The club has 22 Championship crowns in total.
The record he carries south
England moved him on from Test cricket in 2024. He signed off at Lord’s against West Indies with four wickets in his final match, finishing on 704 in 188 Tests at 26.45. No fast bowler in history has more. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) sit above him.
His first-class tally stands at 1,193. He turns 45 next July, and before he bowls a ball for Surrey he is due to play for Napoli Knights in the Italia T10 later this month.
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