Jimmy Anderson to leave Lancashire after county declines 2027 contract extension

Jimmy Anderson confirmed on Instagram on 25 October 2026 that he will leave Lancashire when his contract ends this year after the county decided not to extend his deal for the 2027 season. The county opted against renewing his contract into 2027.

Anderson has spent 25 years at Lancashire after making his debut in 2001. Reflecting on his time at the club on Instagram he wrote: "I’ve supported Lancashire since I was a kid, and so to get to play for them for 25 years was a dream come true." He added: "I have always found it special walking out to play at Old Trafford and have some incredible memories of doing so, including the honour of being captain." He concluded the post with: "If it was up to me it wouldn’t have ended like this, but I wish the players and fans all the best for the future."

For Lancashire, Anderson took 443 first-class wickets in 112 appearances, 83 List A wickets in 61 matches and 50 T20 wickets in 40 appearances. His contributions across formats formed the bulk of a quarter-century association with the county.

In the 2026 County Championship Anderson claimed 50 wickets at an average of 17.68 and was named Lancashire’s Championship player of the year. Lancashire finished second-bottom in Division Two and were eliminated from both limited-overs competitions in the group stage.

Paul Farbrace, Lancashire’s incoming director of cricket, said he had told Anderson the club would not extend his contract after a meeting with the chief executive, Richard Kenyon, on 19 October. Farbrace said the club wanted to rebuild its squad to secure promotion and then challenge in Division One over the next three to four years.

The former England captain Nasser Hussain said Anderson’s departure was "a hugely sad way" for the bowler to leave the club. "I’d say most counties in the country would take Anderson, even at the age of 44," he wrote for Sky Sports. "I’d rather not focus in on how it ended, both for England and for Lancashire – I’d rather be thankful that we’ve had 26 years of Anderson giving it all for England and Lancashire." Anderson retired from international cricket in July 2024; his 188th and final Test was against West Indies at Lord’s and he finished his Test career with 704 wickets, the most by any fast bowler.

Anderson will leave Lancashire when his contract ends this year. He has not said whether he will retire or continue playing elsewhere.