Veteran bowler James Anderson gave England a glimpse at what they’ll be missing by snaring a seven-wicket haul during Lancashire’s County Championship match against Nottinghamshire.
The 41-year-old prepared for his Test swansong by taking 7-35 in 16 overs, the second-best bowling figures of a first-class career that dates back to 2002, to help roll Nottinghamshire for 126 at Trafalgar Road Ground on Tuesday.
Playing his first match since announcing his Test retirement, Anderson removed former England opener Haseeb Hameed, New Zealand representative Will Young and Big Bash League star Joe Clarke in a devastating spell of 6-19, taking wickets in six consecutive overs before the lunch break.
The right-armed seamer, who turns 42 later this month, finished with the best bowling figures of the County Championship season to date, securing his 55th five-wicket haul at first-class level.
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Australian spinner Nathan Lyon wrapped up the innings with a run out at the non-striker’s end to give Lancashire a 227-run lead after captain Keaton Jennings cracked an unbeaten 187 in the first innings.
“That was one of our best days of the summer,” Lyon said at stumps.
“It was pretty amazing to come out here to Southport and have Jimmy bowling as well.
“Doing what he did this morning was pretty amazing to witness.
“I’ve obviously seen it on the other side, when I’m not standing there saying, ‘Come on Jimmy,’ so that was amazing to watch and amazing to be a part of.”
Lyon, playing his eighth and final match with Lancashire this season, confessed it felt strange bowling in tandem with one of his fiercest Ashes rivals. No County Championship XI has ever featured more Test wickets than Lancashire’s 1230, with Anderson accounting for 700 and Lyon the remaining 530.
“We did have that little moment where we said it feels a little bit sick me saying, ‘Come on Jimmy,’ and him saying, ‘Nice Garry’. A bit different,” Lyon laughed.
“But that’s the beauty of county cricket I guess, to come over here and play with arguably the greatest fast bowler to ever play the game. It’s been pretty special.
“When I first signed for Lancashire that was one of the big drawcards, the chance to hopefully bowl in a partnership with Jimmy.
“We’ve only done three overs so far, but hopefully the weather holds off and we can have a decent crack tomorrow.”
In May, Anderson announced that England’s first Test against the West Indies at Lord’s, which gets underway next week, would be his final international appearance.
With one eye on the 2025/26 Ashes series in Australia, ECB managing director Rob Key and Test coach Brendon McCullum gently nudged Anderson towards retirement, selecting uncapped quicks Gus Atkinson and Dillon Pennington for the upcoming Test series at the West Indies.
“I don’t think Jimmy was expecting it, but I don’t think it was completely unexpected,” Key explained to the BBC’s Test Match Special podcast in May.
“We just sort of said, ‘Look, I think it’s time for us to move on.’ We’re coming to a stage now where we’ve got to start looking towards the future.”
Anderson, the only pace bowler with 700 Test wickets, is nine scalps away from surpassing Australian icon Shane Warne as the format’s second-leading wicket-taker.
“You can just see the class of what Jimmy brings to the table,” Lyon continued.
“The extra zip off the wicket, the extra bounce, and that’s not even mentioning his skillset and what he brings — that ability to go both ways and then you throw in the wobble seam.
“It was pretty cool being at mid-off and actually have him tell me what he was actually doing, it was good fun out there.
“I’ve said this before, I’m very much surprised that England’s tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘You’ve got one more Test and that’s it’.
“He’s world class. He’s probably the best to ever play the game as a fast bowler and his skillset especially in England is remarkable.
“I’ll leave it at that.”
Lyon, who has taken 26 wickets during this season’s County Championship, claimed the first two wickets of Nottinghamshire’s second innings, including his 800th scalp at first-class level, after Lancashire enforced the follow-on, with the hosts still leading by 143 at stumps on day three.