By Ian Omoro
Ever since he hinted at a prospective comeback to white-ball cricket recently, James Anderson, England’s all-time greatest Test wicket-taker, has drawn the interest of Major League Cricket (MLC) as a possible recruit for the league’s 2025 season.
According to BBC Sport, senior executives from at least one unidentified MLC team are investigating the possibility of the 42-year-old fast-bowling icon taking part in the expanding T20 competition in the US. If Anderson decides to join, he may get approximately £135,000 for a brief appearance in the competition, which would increase from 19 to 34 games in 2025.
After taking 704 Test wickets in his career, Anderson announced his retirement from international cricket and recently became a fast-bowling coach in England’s backroom staff.
His remarks regarding a possible return to white-ball cricket, however, have caught the attention of MLC, which has drawn several well-known figures, including Travis Head, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Australia captain Pat Cummins.
Though Anderson last played a Twenty20 match for Lancashire in the T20 Blast in 2014, he has shown confidence in his ability to produce in the shorter format despite a decade-long focus on red-ball cricket.
Supported by prominent individuals like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, MLC has made it apparent that it wants to entice the best English players to the league. World Cup champions Jason Roy and Liam Plunkett have already appeared in past tournaments; Roy just inked a lucrative two-year contract worth three million euros with the Los Angeles Knight Riders.
“There might be people behind the scenes chatting to people. I have not played white-ball cricket for a while, so that is the first thing I need to get back to if I am to think about doing it. I don’t know if there is any interest, so I will just ask around,” Anderson told the Tailenders podcast.
Anderson’s key contract with the ECB expires at the end of September. He announced last week that he would stay in England’s backroom for the October Test series against Pakistan and that he would be joining the team for their December tour of New Zealand.
