Lancashire to look at farewell for James Anderson after tense members' meeting
Lancashire will look into organising a farewell for James Anderson, the England bowler whose release by the county has upset many of its supporters. The plan emerged from a tense members' meeting at Old Trafford on Monday evening, where his departure dominated the discussion.
Anderson, 44, is England's all-time leading wicket-taker. He made his professional debut for Lancashire in 2001 and was in the England side by the end of 2002. The county decided not to extend his contract, so he will leave when it runs out this year, as The Guardian reported.
About 200 members attended the meeting. Lancashire was represented by chief executive Richard Kenyon and Paul Farbrace, who joins the club as director of cricket, the person in charge of playing matters. Farbrace spoke by video from a holiday in the United States. He said he wants to build a squad capable of winning the County Championship within the next four years, and he does not believe Anderson will be part of that squad. Anderson turns 45 next year.
The County Championship is the long-running domestic competition played over four days in whites, and it is where Lancashire's struggles have been most visible. The club finished second bottom in Division Two last season. Anderson was the county's captain in that competition. He took 50 wickets and was named Lancashire's Championship player of the year.
His record for the club is substantial. He took 443 first-class wickets for Lancashire, the longer format of four-day matches, along with 83 in List A cricket, the 50-over one-day game, and 50 in T20s. For England he claimed 704 Test wickets.
Anderson has spoken about the exit. He said he was sad and disappointed, and added: "If it was up to me it wouldn't have ended like this." He stopped short of confirming the end of his playing career, so it is not yet clear whether he will play on elsewhere.
For a county where many supporters have watched him since his first season, the debate is about how to honour a long career while the club plans for the future. Lancashire has not yet said when or how a farewell might take place, and no date has been set.
