County Championship: James Anderson set for his first-ever captaincy stint
What's the story
Lancashire have appointed James Anderson as the captain for their upcoming County Championship matches against Kent and Derbyshire.
The decision comes as Marcus Harris has headed back to Australia for the birth of his child.
This will be Anderson's first stint as a professional cricket team captain, as per ESPNcricinfo.
He has only played one Championship match this season due to a calf injury but has been impressive in the Vitality Blast.
Captaincy debut
Anderson's first match as captain
Anderson's first match as captain will be against Kent at Blackpool on Sunday.
According to ESPNcricinfo, he will follow Keaton Jennings and Harris as Lancashire's red-ball skipper.
Lancashire have had a poor start in the County Championship, with five draws and two defeats.
However, they have done well in the T20 Blast, winning four out of six matches.
Anderson has taken 10 wickets in four matches, returning to this format after more than a decade.
BBL
Anderson could feature in BBL 2025-26
Apart from leading Lancashire, Anderson has also thrown his hat in the ring for the upcoming Big Bash League season.
The former England pacer, who will turn 43 next month, will become the oldest overseas player in the league's history if picked by any of the eight BBL clubs.
Anderson is one of over 600 players from around the world to have nominated for this year's BBL and WBBL drafts.
Career
Anderson's stellar international career
After a stellar 22-year career, Anderson announced his retirement from international cricket in 2024.
He bowed out as the only fast bowler to have taken over 700 wickets in Test cricket, finishing with a tally of 704 at 26.45. He took 991 wickets overall.
Only two bowlers, Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708), took more Test wickets than Anderson.
The English pacer signed a one-year county contract with Lancashire thereafter and made his T20 comeback against Durham this year.